Data from: Social and genetic population structure of free-ranging cheetah in Botswana: implications for conservation

Once widely distributed throughout Africa, cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) occur today within fragmented populations and are listed as vulnerable by the IUCN. Botswana currently hosts the second largest cheetah population throughout the species’ range. This study initiated a molecular genetic survey of wild Botswana cheetah populations. It focused on the relatedness within presumed social groups using 14 microsatellite markers and revealed a higher proportion of unrelated male coalitions than was expected. Based on the unrelated cheetahs only, the estimation of the genetic variation corresponded with results from recent studies on different African populations. The analysis of unrelated individuals indicated limited genetic differentiation between cheetahs from different regions of Botswana. This suggests that the Botswana cheetah population might represent a unique panmictic population as long as sufficient levels of gene flow are maintained within the distribution range. This baseline information will now be incorporated to develop management strategies and set priorities for cheetah conservation in Botswana.

猎豹（Acinonyx jubatus）曾广泛分布于非洲全境，如今种群呈现碎片化分布，被国际自然保护联盟（IUCN）评定为易危物种。博茨瓦纳目前拥有该物种全球分布范围内第二大的猎豹种群。本研究针对博茨瓦纳野生猎豹种群开展了分子遗传学调查：研究采用14个微卫星（microsatellite）标记，聚焦于推测的社会群体内部的亲缘关系，结果显示无亲缘关系的雄性联盟占比高于此前预期。仅以无亲缘关系的猎豹个体为研究对象时，其遗传变异水平的估算结果与近期针对非洲不同猎豹种群开展的相关研究结论一致。对无亲缘关系个体的分析显示，博茨瓦纳不同区域的猎豹之间遗传分化程度有限。这表明，若能在其分布范围内维持充足的基因流水平，博茨瓦纳猎豹种群或可成为一个独特的泛交（panmictic）种群。本研究获得的基础信息将被用于制定博茨瓦纳猎豹保护的管理策略并确定优先保护事项。