IISc study sheds light on resilience of blackbucks

A new study from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), has highlighted the climate-induced disasters and human activities destroying the habitat for Blackbucks in India.

Details of the study:

• Aim: IISc study sheds light on the resilience of blackbucks in the Indian sub-continent.
• The team also used simulations to trace how the three present-day clusters may have evolved from their common ancestor.

• The study involves analysing the genetic profiles of blackbucks found across the country.
• They extracted and sequenced the DNA from the faecal samples to study the genetic makeup of blackbuck, and deployed computational tools to map the geographic locations with the genetic data.
• Key findings:
  • It was found that an ancestral blackbuck population first split into two groups: the northern and the southern cluster.
  • The eastern cluster even though geographically close to the northern cluster seems to have emerged from the southern cluster.
  • They also found that the male blackbuck appear to disperse more than expected, thus contributing to gene flow in this species.
  • Females, on the other hand, appear to stay largely within their native population ranges, which the researchers inferred from unique mitochondrial signatures in each population.
  • They analysed that the species has managed to survive in a human dense population.
    
    

About Blackbucks in India:

• Indian Blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) is an antelope and is the only living species of the genus Antilope.
• It is considered to be the fastest animal in the world next to Cheetah.
• The horns of the blackbuck are ringed with one to four spiral turns and the female is usually hornless.
• Males have corkscrew-shaped horns and black-to-dark brown coats, while females are fawn-coloured.
• Habitat: 
  • Blackbuck inhabits grassy plains and slightly forested areas.
  • Due to its regular need for water, it prefers areas where water is perennially available.
  • It is found in Central- Western India (MP, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Punjab, Haryana, Maharashtra and Odisha) and Southern India (Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu).
• Protection Status: 
  • Hunting of blackbuck is prohibited under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972.
  • It has been categorised least concerned in IUCN Red Data Book.
• The Bishnoi community of Rajasthan is known worldwide for their conservation efforts for blackbuck and Chinkara.