CONSERVATION OF ARABIAN GAZELLES - Nwrc.gov.sa

Cryptomys hottentOlus nata/ensis
Cryptomys hottenlOlus hottentotus
Order Primates
Papio ursinus
Cercopithecus pygerylhrus
Common Mole Rat
Common Mole Rat
Chacma Baboon
Vervet Monkey
I
3
Order Proboscidea
Loxodoma africana
Order Lagomorpha
Lepus saxatilis
Order Hyracoidea
Procavia capensis
Order Pionipedia
Lobodon carcinophaglls
African Elephant 5
Scrub Hare
Rock Hyrax
Crabeater Seal
Hybrids
Diceros bico mis minor I D. b. michael;
Hippotragus eqllinus I H. niger
Diceros bico rnis / CeralOtherium simllm
With very small dry samples or samples placed in alcohol, the Polymerase Chain Reaction
(PCR) technique can be used for amplification before sequencing. In our laboratory we have found
that cell cultures are an excellent medium for the long term storage of tissues from which DNA can
be extracted. Being living tissue they are capable of very long term storage in liquid nitrogen, and
have many other biochemical or cytogenetic uses. To date we have samples from over 150
individuals in culture representing 50 natural mammalian taxa - many of which are threatened with
extinction - and three hybrids (Table 8.1). These cultures provide an invaluable and renewable
biological resource. In the following sections practical examples of the application of various DNA
analysis techniques are given.
The RFLP approach
Cell cultures were extracted from over forty individuals representative of four different subspecies of
black rhinoceros: Dieeros bieomis minor, D. b. bieomis, D. b. michaeli, and D. b. ehobiensis. DNA
extracted from these was restricted with fourteen different restriction endonucleases. Since total
DNA was extracted, mitochondrial DNA restriction patterns required the Southern blotting technique
to display them, usi ng a radio-labelled rhinoceros mitochondrial DNA probe prepared previously
from heart tissue obtained from an opportunistic death in the field. Three of the enzymes showed
distinctive mitochondrial DNA morphs, illustrated diagrammatically in Figure 8.1, which were
characteristic of, and monomorphic for, either the minor, the michaeli, Or the bicomis subspecies,
with chobiensis always giving patterns identical to millor. These RFLPs therefore provide useful
markers for three of the subspecies and demonstrate a close genetic affinity of ehobiensis to minor.
The results also show low intra-subspecific genetic distances which suggest that outbreeding
depression from mixing subspecies would be unlikely, should this ever be required to maintain
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