1993/07/01 by Stefanie Freitag, Terence J. Robinson · 12 citations
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Environmental Science · #Genetic diversity and population structure #Genetic and phenotypic traits in livestock #Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
paper · pdf · doi:10.2307/4088425
openalex publication_date 1993/07/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/06/26
We assayed restriction-site differences in mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) within and among populations of the Ostrich (Struthio came/us) throughout much of its African distribution. Little genetic diversity was evident among samples drawn from localities throughout southern Africa (5. c. australis), while deep divisions in the mtDNA gene tree exist between representatives of the eastern (5. c. molybdophanes and 5. c. massaicus) and northern African subspecies (5. c. came/us). The low mtDNA variability within australis and the presence of widespread mtDNA genotypes in this subspecies suggest considerable his torical interconnectedness among populations, either through gene flow and/or recent col3;2; onization from smaller source populations. The strong phytogeographic structuring evident in eastern and northern Africa aligns with the currently accepted subspecies designations. Data indicate that the Ethiopian system of the Great Rift Valley has been effective in disrupting east-west gene flow between molybdophanes and camelus, while ecological differences and behavioral/reproductive cues have contributed to maintaining the genetic and phenotypic discreteness of molybdophanes and massaicus in east Africa. Although contemporary Ostrich populations are effectively divided into southern and northern populations by a belt of Brachystegia woodland, arid-corridor links in the recent evolutionary past appear to have allowed for periodic contact between australis and massaicus populations. Consequently, the development of subspecific differences between these two taxa has occurred within the context of shallow evolutionary separation.