skull measurements

Skull measurements for morphologcial analyses. Given is individual (ID), group (main = originated from the mainland of the Arabian Peninsula; far = originated from Farasan Islands), Sex (0 = males; 1 = females), wildcaptive (0 = individual originated from the wild; 1 = individual were bred in captivity) and data for 32 linear, log10-transformed skull measurements (for abbreviations see Fig. S2)

Data from: Utility of island populations in reintroduction programs—relationships between Arabian gazelles (Gazella arabica) from the Farasan Archipelago and endangered mainland populations

Understanding local adaptation and population differentiation is vital to the success of reintroduction initiatives. Like other mammals living on islands, Arabian gazelles (G. arabica) show reduced body size on the Farasan archipelago, which we corroborated in this study through morphometric analyses of skulls. In light of the steep population decline on the Arabian Peninsula—but stable population development on the archipelago—we tested the potential suitability of Farasan gazelles as a source for reintroductions on the mainland. We, therefore, investigated genetic differentiation between Farasan and mainland populations using eleven nuclear microsatellite loci and detected a distinct genetic cluster exclusively present on the archipelago, which we inferred to be separated from the mainland cluster for less than 2,000 years. About 30% of sampled individuals from Farasan Islands showed assignment to a mainland cluster with signs of ongoing introgression. Analyses using the Isolation-with-Migration model confirmed recent (probably human-induced) bidirectional exchange of gazelles between mainland and island populations. Hence, the surprisingly uniform island dwarfism most likely reflects phenotypic plasticity, i.e., altered morphology as a direct consequence of harsh environmental conditions and resource limitation on the archipelago. Should a further decline of Arabian gazelles on the mainland necessitate restocking in the future, Farasan gazelles may thus become an additional source for captive breeding programs

µSat Data

In this file the microsatellite data for each individual (ID) and its group is given in the first two columns. The following 22 columns are organized in pairs with both allels of one loci each. Values -9 indicate missing data

IMa input file

Input file for Isolation-with-Migration analyses. Data is arranged locuswise, giving also locus-specific mutation rates (95% confidence interval). far = individuals originated from Farasan Islands; main = individuals originated from the south-western part of the Arabian Peninsul