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New research on genetics of Southern Africa leopards
Author: Wiida Fourie-Basson
Published: 18/01/2016

Leopards that come into conflict with farmers or rural populations should ideally not be translocated further than 100 kilometres from where they were caught, as it can compromise their natural spatial genetic structure and diversity.

This is one of the findings of a comprehensive analysis of the genetic structure of the southern Africa leopard (Panthera pardus), conducted by a multidisciplinary team of researchers from South Africa, the United Kingdom, Australia, Norway, the United States of America and France.

The results of the study were recently published in the journal Comptes Rendus Biologies.

Prof. Conrad Matthee, an evolutionary biologist from Stellenbosch University and the senior author on the research article, says the good news is that the southern Africa leopard population displays a healthy genetic structure: "Our leopards have high genetic diversity, with relatively low inbreeding, thus suggesting minimal vulnerability from small population size, inbreeding depression or mating strategies."

However, this natural picture of genetic diversity can change when problem leopards are moved to other areas to reduce conflict with humans: "Individual leopards sampled in the Western Cape are genetically different from individuals sampled in Kwazulu-Natal and also different from individuals sampled in Mozambique. If you start mixing the local gene pools, you interfere with the natural process."

Prof. Matthee warns that interference with this natural spatial genetic pattern can create problems: "Animals adapt to their local environment and the adaptations that work in the Western Cape may not be as effective in the Kruger National Park. If this is the case and a leopard from the Western Cape should breed with one from the Kruger, you weaken the gene pool specific to that area."

They found that over time, genetic differences between the groups developed by means of a natural process called 'genetic isolation by distance'. This means that when individuals over large geographic distances are compared, they do not share a lot of genetic information. But when the distance is reduced, the individuals become more similar in their genetic profiles.

While the Southern Africa leopard population share a common ancestor, over time they developed genetic differences between different areas, prof. Matthee explains.

Bearing this in mind, the research team employed a gene dispersal index for the leopard population in the Western Cape, incorporating information such as home range sizes of leopards and the sex ratio of individuals in a certain area, to determine the maximum distance a leopard can be moved before it starts interfering with the genetics of the local leopards.

The verdict is not further than 82 kilometres.

"Conflict between humans and leopards is a highly complex problem. Translocation often seems the easiest solution, but is rarely effective," prof. Matthee warns.

"Leopards are known to return to home territories following translocation and in doing so can travel up to 500 km. While they return, they continue to predate on livestock and sometimes in greater numbers, upon their return.

The research is a first step towards the development of guidelines for maintaining the natural genetic structure and diversity of the southern African leopard population.

The research team was assisted by several private individuals, as well as CapeNature, the Cape Leopard Trust, Panthera and the Niassa Carnivore Project. They collected DNA samples from 145 leopards originating from the Kruger National Park, Mkuze and Phinda Game Reserves in KwaZulu-Natal, the Baviaanskloof World Heritage Site in the Eastern Cape, the Niassa province in Mozambique and one sample from southern Zimbabwe.

Other interesting findings from the research:

  • The smaller Cape leopard is not a distinct species separate from other leopards in South Africa.
  • Leopards from Mozambique form a clade, while leopards from the Western Cape share most of their genes with individuals from the Eastern Cape. The leopards from Phinda and Mkuze are also closely related.
  • Animals sampled in the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces show the most genetic diversity at present

Did you know:

  • Leopards are basically solitary and go out of their way to avoid one another. Each animal has a home range that overlaps with its neighbors'; the male's range is much larger and generally overlaps with those of several females. A leopard usually does not tolerate intrusion into its own range except to mate. Unexpected encounters between leopards can lead to fights.
  • The female leopard typically gives birth to a litter of two or three cubs. She abandons her nomadic lifestyle until the cubs are large enough to accompany her. She keeps them hidden for the first eight weeks and moves them from one location to the next until they are old enough to start learning to hunt. The cubs continue to live with their mothers for two years.

http://www.awf.org/wildlife-conservation/leopard

http://capeleopard.org.za/research/leopard

Cape Mountain Leopards

 

Caption

Leopards that come into conflict with farmers or a rural population should rather not be moved further than 100 kilometres from where they were caught. In this way the natural spatial genetic diversity of leopards will be conserved. Photo's: Brian van Wilgen en Danie Brink

 

Contact details

Prof. Conrad Matthee

E: cam@sun.ac.za

T: +27 _21 808 3957