Genetic conservation of South African wattled cranes

The wattled crane (Grus carunculatus), a species highly dependent on wetlands, is the largest and rarest of the six African crane species. The once vast range of the wattled crane now consists of only three disjunct populations. The South African population has shown dramatic declines and supplementation of this population using eggs from south-central Africa has been proposed. The objectives of this study were to compare levels of genetic variation in South African and south-central African populations to determine if such supplementation is needed, and if so, whether the south-central African populations represent a genetically similar source for supplementation. We surveyed genetic variation in samples from South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana using 12 microsatellite DNA loci and a 400-bp fragment of the mitochondrial D-loop. Samples from Zimbabwe and Botswana were deemed genetically similar and pooled to increase sample size. Subsequent analyses indicate that the pooled south-central and South African populations show differentiation in microsatellite DNA genotypes, as well as mitochondrial DNA. As the results from both genetic markers indicate genetic isolation, these populations should be managed as separate entities. As no indication was seen from either microsatellite or mtDNA data that significant loss of genetic diversity has occurred within South African wattled cranes, supplementation from outside populations may not be necessary at this time.