Immunogenetics of free-ranging felids on Namibian farmlands [Elektronische Ressource] / Aines del Carmen Castro Prieto. Betreuer: Simone Sommer

Aines Del Carmen Castro Prieto

Sujets

• Biologie

Informations

• Publié par: universitat_potsdam
• Publié le: 01 janvier 2011
• Nombre de lectures: 229
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

Leibniz Institut für Zoo und Wildtierforschung 
Forschungsgruppe Evolutionsgenetik 


Immunogenetics of free-ranging felids
on Namibian farmlands

Dissertation
Zur Erlangung des akademischen Grades
“doctor rerum naturalium”
(Dr. rer.nat.)
in der Wissenschaftsdisziplin “Evolutionsgenetik”


eingereicht an der
Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftlichen Fakultät
der Universität Potsdam


von
Aines del Carmen Castro Prieto



Potsdam, Juni 2011














































Published online at the
Institutional Repository of the University of Potsdam:
URL http://opus.kobv.de/ubp/volltexte/2011/5550/
URN urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-55505
http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:kobv:517-opus-55505  









In Loving Memory of my Mother
You inspire me to achieve everything I wish

































 
Contents

Preface 1
Acknowledgments 3

Sumary 5
Zusammenfassung 7
Introduction 11
Article Summaries 19
Article 1 19
Cheetah paradigm revisited:
MHC diversity in the world's largest free-ranging population
Article 2 21
Patterns of adaptive variation and genetic differentiation
in free-ranging cheetahs on Namibian farmlands
Article 3 23
Diversity and evolutionary patterns of immune genes
in free-ranging Namibian leopards (Panthera pardus pardus)
Discusion 25
References 35
Apendix 43
Article 1 43
Article 2 77
Article 3 95
PREFACE  1
_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Preface

The present study is part of The Cheetah Research Project from the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and
Wildlife Research (IZW) established in 2002. The project focuses on the world’s largest
remaining free-ranging cheetah population in Namibia which is considered as the key population
for the survival of the species. The aim of Cheetah Research Project is to shed light into the
cheetah’s biology, ecology and factors affecting the health status in order to provide a scientific
basis for the sustainable protection of this population.

For my doctoral research, I conducted the first large-scale study on immune gene
variation within the Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) in free-ranging Namibian
cheetahs and assessed its relevance for the host’s susceptibility to diseases. In addition, I
investigated the genetic diversity and evolutionary patterns of the MHC in free-ranging leopards
that were opportunistically collected on Namibian farmlands. Cheetahs and leopards coexist in
Namibia being exposed to similar pathogenic pressures. On the other hand, they differ in their
evolutionary and demographic histories resulting in contrasting levels of neutral genetic
diversity.

My dissertation comprises three manuscripts that can be read independently. Two are
published and the one remaining is submitted to international peer-reviewed scientific journals.
All articles include co-authors and are therefore written in first person plural. Each article
summary describes individual co-authors contributions in order to highlight my own
contributions.
2   ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  3
_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Acknowledgments

I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who has helped to accomplish this thesis. First of all, I
am deeply thankful to my “Doktormutter” Simone Sommer, for trusting me in doing this job, mentoring
me, and for continuous support and friendship during the four years of my study. I would like to thank
Bettina Wachter, for introducing me to the cheetahs in Namibia and for great feedback during the
development of my research as well as in every single manuscript; Members of the Cheetah Research
Project during my stay in Namibia, for showing me the exciting fieldwork of trapping and handling
cheetahs in the wild, specially to Annika Krengel for hosting me warmly in the farm and showing me nice
places in Namibia. Thank you all for giving me the opportunity to join the fieldwork in Namibia; it was
truly a great experience!

I am thankful to my colleagues from the “Evolutionary Genetics Research Group” at the Leibniz-
Institut für Zoo und Wildtierforschung (IZW), for the ideas you have shared with me, fruitful discussions
and all insights and comments on my work, especially to Jan Axtner, Yvonne Meyer-Lucht, Nina
Schwensow, Julia Schad, Goetz Froeschke, Thomas Püttker and Francisca Robles. Guys, I need more
than a couple of sentences to express my gratitude for the way you received me (us) when I first arrived
in Berlin, not only at work but in your lives too. I can only say that I am really lucky for having met you
and shared sometime with you during these years; Alexandra Weyrich and Camila Mazzoni for saying the
right words at the right time, which is essential for surviving a PhD, and for having you on my side.
Thanks a lot to all of you for continuous emotional and intellectual support. I also want to thank Jörns
Fickel, Jürgen Streich, Arne Ludwig, Michael Cieslak, Andreas Wilting, Niko Balkenhol and Pablo
Santos for advice and support in whatever way; Technical Assistants from our group Tanja Noventa,
Dietmar Lieckfeldt, Birgit Bieber, and Ramona Taubert for never hesitate in offering help and for the nice
atmosphere in the Lab. I am especially thankful to Anke Schmidt for continuous assistance in the Lab.

I appreciate the nice moments with my “doktoranden” colleagues and friends, thanks for sharing
with me. I am also thankful to all of those that are not mentioned here but have contributed in whatever
way to make my stay at the IZW a very pleasant one.

I would like to thank Michael Monaghan for data analyses assistance and helpful suggestions
during my study. Also, Renita Danabalan for language advice in the mansucripts. Thank you guys for
great support and friendship when most needed.

Finally, I want to thank the most important people in my life, my beautiful family.

4  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 
_____________________________________________________________________________________ 
Con esta tesis de doctorado, finalmente culmino mis estudios de posgrado!
Quiero expresar mi más profundo agradecimiento a mi hermosa familia. Especialmente a mis padres por
darme las herramientas necesarias para poder alcanzar esta meta que tenía trazada desde hace ya muchos
años. Mamá, gracias por enseñarme que las puertas se abren a quien gira el picaporte y por seguir siempre
adelante ante la adversidad. Papá, gracias por confiar en mí y apoyarme siempre en mis decisiones,
también por cuidar de Cosmo. Monty, sé que mis estudios me llevaron lejos de tu lado tal vez cuando más
me necesitabas; gracias hermana por apoyarme siendo fuerte y dando lo mejor de ti todo este tiempo. A
mi Tita y mis hermanas mayores Rommy y Janet porque siempre he contado con su cariño y apoyo
incondicional. Tío Emir, gracias por motivarme a retomar el rumbo de la Biología; siempre supe que era
lo mío! A mis sugeros Eli y Fallo por apoyarnos con la decisión de venir a Alemania, sé que extrañan
mucho a su pollito mayor. Gracias David por ayudarnos con la Chata y el Gabino. Finalmente, y no
menos importante, quiero agradecerle a mi marido. Rafa, no sabes cuánto aprecio el gran apoyo que he
recibido de tu parte día tras día durante estos cuatro años, es realmente invaluable. Gracias por
aventurarte conmigo dejando tu mundo marino de lado para que estuviéramos juntos y yo pudiera cumplir
este anhelo; significa mucho para mí. Sé que la experiencia no ha sido fácil pero estoy segura de que lo
que hemos aprendido juntos este tiempo, tan lejos de nuestras raíces, nos ha hecho valorar lo que somos,
lo que tenemos y lo que queremos. Confío en que los frutos de nuestro esfuerzo pronto se verán
reflejados.

Agradezco el apoyo otorgado a través de la beca Bicentenario de alta competencia para posgrado e
investigación en el extranjero ciclo 2010, de la Secretaría de Educación Pública y el Gobierno Mexicano.