Show simple item record

dc.contributor.authorHaouchar, D.
dc.contributor.authorHaile, J.
dc.contributor.authorSpencer, P.
dc.contributor.authorBunce, Michael
dc.date.accessioned2017-03-15T22:06:25Z
dc.date.available2017-03-15T22:06:25Z
dc.date.created2017-02-24T00:09:26Z
dc.date.issued2013
dc.identifier.citationHaouchar, D. and Haile, J. and Spencer, P. and Bunce, M. 2013. The identity of the Depuch Island rock-wallaby revealed through ancient DNA. Australian Mammalogy. 35: pp. 101-106.
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/49636
dc.identifier.doi10.1071/AM11044
dc.description.abstract

Ancient DNA is becoming increasingly recognised as a tool in conservation biology to audit past biodiversity. The widespread loss of Australian biodiversity, especially endemic mammal populations, is of critical concern. An extreme example occurred on Depuch Island, situated off the north-west coast of Western Australia, where an unidentified species of rock-wallaby (Petrogale sp.) became extinct as a result of predation by red foxes. Two potential candidate species, Petrogale lateralis and P. rothschildi, both have ranges adjacent to Depuch Island, making identification based on geography difficult. A museum bone (one of the only surviving Depuch Island specimens) was subjected to standard ancient DNA analyses and procedures. Mitochondrial DNA cytochrome b and hypervariable control region were targeted for species identification.AncientDNAwas successfully recovered from the bone: 200 base pairs (bp) of control region and 975 bp of the cytochrome b gene. Bayesian phylogenetic analyses were employed to model the Depuch Island rock-wallaby DNA sequences together with sequences of other rock-wallaby taxa from GenBank. Evidence suggests that of the two Petrogale lateralis subspecies proposed to have inhabited Depuch Island, Petrogale lateralis lateralis was identified as the most likely. The identification of the Depuch Island rock-wallaby population may assist in the reintroduction of an insurance population of Petrogale lateralis lateralis, which is becoming increasingly threatened on mainland Australia.

dc.publisherCSIRO Publishing
dc.subjectPast biodiversity
dc.subjectConservation
dc.titleThe identity of the Depuch Island rock-wallaby revealed through ancient DNA
dc.typeJournal Article
dcterms.source.volume35
dcterms.source.startPage101
dcterms.source.endPage106
dcterms.source.issn03100049
dcterms.source.titleAustralian Mammalogy
curtin.departmentDepartment of Environment and Agriculture
curtin.accessStatusFulltext not available


Files in this item

Thumbnail

This item appears in the following Collection(s)

Show simple item record