Rebhuhn-Populationsgenetik

This pilot project investigates changes over time in the genetic variation of the grey partridge (Perdix perdix), that is ranked as critically endangered nationwide in Germany and now threatened with extinction in Saxony. Breeding populations of this once-common bird—characteristic of the small-scale agricultural landscapes of Saxony—have been in dramatic decline for decades due to the structural impoverishment of open habitats and the intensification of land use. Consequently, genetic depletion within the few remaining relict populations in Saxony is to be expected. This hypothesis will be tested through genomic analyses of material from historical populations. The Senckenberg Natural History Collections in Dresden hold various historical local series of grey partridges from Saxony and Brandenburg. For population genomic analyses a high-quality reference genome for Perdix perdix was sequenced, assembled and annotated in co-operation with Translational Biodiversity Genomics Network at SGN Frankfurt am Main. Genome-wide variation over space and time will be inferred from an Illumina-sequencing data set inferred from regional population samplings mainly from Saxony and Lower Saxony, partner institute: Tierärztliche Hochschule (TiHo) Hannover, and other parts of Germany.