Diversity of Iranian gazelles

Description

Iran with its highly sculptured landscape including mountain ranges and deserts is home to four species of gazelles (Gazella subgutturosa, G. bennettii, G. arabica und G. marica). They are threatened by poaching and changes in land use and are hardly found outside of protected areas, as in many other countries. Captive breeding initiatives were started, but so far they are not very successful. We collected fecal samples from all gazelle species all over the country to investigate population structure and evolutionary orin of gazelle populations in Iran using molecular markers. The results will help to understand subspecies patterning, connectivity and identity of gazelle populations, and therewith provide important information for conservation programs, including captive breeding and re-introduction of gazelles.
 

Location