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Estimation of the census (Nc) and effective (Ne) population size of a wild mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) horde in the Lopé National Park, Gabon using a non-invasive genetic approach

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Abstract

Mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) are enigmatic primates endemic to central Africa and are threatened by habitat loss and hunting. However, effective management of this species is limited by insufficient information about their numbers in the wild, since population size can impact viability and genetic diversity. Here, we used for the first time a non-invasive genetic approach to estimate the census and effective population size (Nc and Ne respectively) of a wild mandrill horde in Lopé National Park (Gabon). We amplified a total of 232 unique genotypes using a panel of 16 microsatellite loci from mandrill fecal samples collected over three years (2016–2018). Using the single sample estimator in CAPWIRE, we obtained an estimate for Nc of 989 (95% CI 947–1399) individuals which was close to that obtained from the multiple sample estimator implemented in the program MARK [992 (95% CI 708–1453)]. These estimates approximately correspond with previous visual counts obtained from the same horde. Based on a model implemented in the program NeOGen, when samples were pooled across all three sampling sessions, statistical power was sufficient for a robust Ne estimate. Using the three one-sample estimators in the NeESTIMATORV2 program and the one in COLONY, Ne was estimated at 292 (95% CI 239–370) and 135 (95% CI 108–176) individuals respectively, indicating that Ne is between 13.6 and 29.5% of Nc. This study showed that non-invasive genetics is an effective tool for providing accurate estimates of horde sizes of mandrills and other elusive primates, provided enough samples and hypervariable loci are genotyped.

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Acknowledgements

This study was made possible by the ongoing research project on wild populations of the mandrill in LNP, Gabon. The project is a collaborative effort between researchers and students from various institutions, namely Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku (USTM), Agence Nationale des Parcs Nationaux (ANPN) and Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale (IRET), Gabon; University of New Orleans (UNO), USA; University of Stirling (UoS), UK. This research was funded by the Freeport McMoran Endowed Chair (Nicola Anthony, University of New Orleans, US). We thank Audubon Nature Institute and the University of New Orleans who provided the endowed chair position and funding from UNO’s Office Of Research (ORSP). We thank the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (CENAREST) and the Agence National des Parcs Nationaux (ANPN) of Gabon for research permits No. AR0023/17/MESRSFC/CENAREST/CG/CST/CSAR; AR0036/16/MESRSFC/CENAREST/CG/CST/CSAR and entry to LNP No. AE17 O 1 6/PR/ANPN/SE/CS/AFKP; AE16025/PR/ANPN/SE/CS/AFKP. We are very grateful to the cooperative field agents and staff of the Station Etude des Gorilles et Chimpanzés (SEGC), Gabon, who enthusiastically helped us collect the fecal samples. We also thank the many UNO undergraduate students for their valuable assistance in the lab: Ibraheem Hachem, Justine Davis, Shyla Irthum, Kaleb Hill, Gina Kissee, Claire Melancon, Patrick Hall and Gabrielle Sehon.

Funding

This research was funded by the Freeport-McMoran Endowed Chair (Nicola Anthony, University of New Orleans, US). We thank Audubon Nature Institute and the University of New Orleans who provided the endowed chair position and funding from UNO’s Office Of Research (ORSP) and College of Sciences (CoS).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratoire de Biologie Moléculaire et Cellulaire, Département de Biologie, Université des Sciences et Techniques de Masuku, Franceville, Gabon

    Amour GuibingaMickala, Stephan Ntie & Patrick Mickala

  2. Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Orleans, New Orleans, LA, 70148, USA

    Anna Weber, Prakhar Gahlot & Nicola Anthony

  3. School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Stirling, Stirling, Scotland, UK

    David Lehmann & Katherine Abernethy

  4. Agence Nationale Des Parcs Nationaux, Libreville, Gabon

    Stephan Ntie & David Lehmann

  5. Institut de Recherche en Ecologie Tropicale, Libreville, Gabon

    Katherine Abernethy

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  1. Amour GuibingaMickala
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were carried out by Amour Guibinga Mickala, Anna Weber, Stephan Ntie, Prakhar Gahlot, Nicola Anthony, David Lehmann, Katherine Abernethy and Patrick Mickala. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Amour Guibinga Mickala and all authors commented on earlier drafts of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Nicola Anthony.

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GuibingaMickala, A., Weber, A., Ntie, S. et al. Estimation of the census (Nc) and effective (Ne) population size of a wild mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) horde in the Lopé National Park, Gabon using a non-invasive genetic approach. Conserv Genet 23, 871–883 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-022-01458-2

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