Genetic differences among Elephants

Genetic differences among Elephants

Context: Corridors with high human activities may not ease elephant connectivity, study

More about the study:

• In India, where a large extent of elephants lie outside protected areas, elephants occur in the country’s north-western, east-central, north-eastern and southern regions with the latter two holding about 80% of the elephant population.
• A study suggests that these four populations are genetically different from each other which is expected since they are geographically separated over more than 2000 kilometres.
• Genetic differences within populations, could be as a result of limited genetic connectivity caused by rampant development and infrastructure barriers.
• Factors such as geographic distance, habitat characteristics such as quality of forest, resource distribution such as best quality and quantity of food, availability of water and mates, and mate choice can limit gene flow
• The presence of natural barriers such as rivers or human-made barriers such as highways, concrete walls and electric fences can also result in genetic differentiation among populations
• Development that leads to forest loss and fragmentation affects elephant movement across landscapes and hinders genetic connectivity.
• Small populations in disconnected habitat patches suffer from loss of genetic diversity which could wipe out the entire populations from these small patches.
• Maintenance of corridors
  • In the wake of splintered habitats, the preservation of critical habitat patches and strips of suitable habitats (corridors) that link them is indispensable for the long-term sustenance of species. Managing corridors at a fine scale while addressing socio-ecological aspects is crucial for animals to move and persist in a landscape.