My Project Presentation at the end of the population genetics course. University of Copenhagen 2013

1. Martin Jung - 2013 1 | 8
Genetic structure of Tanzanian elephant
populations
Loxodanta africana Source: wikicommons

2. Martin Jung - 2013 2 | 8
Motivation
Source: Gondwana Game Reserve
● Decrease in elephant
population size and range
expansion (Douglas-
Hamilton 1987, Okello et al.
2008b)
● Fragmentation of populations
● Translocations as
Conservation management
technique (Okello et al.
2008a)

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Methods
● 16 different microsatellite loci
in 217 elephants from seven
sampling regions
● Tested for population
differentiation, structure and
diversity
(from Epps et al. 2013)

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Results (1)
FST
BARRIER
(Manni et al. 2004) Deviation HW:
χ2 = 127.7, df= 96, p= 0.017

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Results (2)

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Results (3)

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Conclussions
● Not easy to define „Populations“ for Tanzanian elephants
● Tanzanian elephants may be suitable for translocations (Okello
et al. 2008a)
● Future studies should consider to involve additional genetic
and individual data

8. Martin Jung - 2013 8 | 8
Thank you for your attention !
References
● Okello, J. B., Masembe, C., Rasmussen, H. B., Wittemyer, G., Omondi, P., Kahindi, O., ... & Siegismund, H. R. (2008a). Population
genetic structure of savannah elephants in Kenya: conservation and management implications. Journal of Heredity, 99(5), 443-452.
● Okello, J. B. A., Wittemyer, G., Rasmussen, H. B., Arctander, P., Nyakaana, S., Douglas‐Hamilton, I., & Siegismund, H. R. (2008b).
Effective population size dynamics reveal impacts of historic climatic events and recent anthropogenic pressure in African elephants.
Molecular Ecology, 17(17), 3788-3799.
● F. Manni, E. Guérard & E. Heyer (2004). Geographic patterns of (genetic, morphologic, linguistic) variation: how barriers can be
detected by “Monmonier’s algorithm”. Human Biology, 76(2): 173-190.
● Epps, C. W., Wasser, S. K., Keim, J. L., Mutayoba, B. M., & Brashares, J. S. (2013). Quantifying past and present connectivity
illuminates a rapidly changing landscape for the African elephant. Molecular ecology.