Introgression of chukar genes into a reintroduced red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) population in central Italy

Insight regarding the genetic origin and composition of the studied population of the red-legged partridge (Alectoris rufa) is likely to provide general and critical information for the appropriate management and possible conservation of the species. The reintroduced population of red-legged partridges living in Pianosa Island (National Park Tuscany Archipelago) has proven to be sustainable: captive-bred individuals, morphologically assigned to the taxon A. rufa, were released to the island approximately 20 years ago, establishing an apparently well-adapted population. We have investigated this population by means of 10 microsatellite loci in order to shed light on its genetic structure. Considering that A. rufa is known to crossbreed with A. chukar, the Pianosa Island population was compared at the molecular level with a red-legged partridge breeding stock (Aulla, MS) as well as with a population of pure A. chukar. Our results indicate that the red-legged partridge population from Pianosa, morphologically identified as A. rufa, is actually partly introgressed with A. chukar, questioning its genetic purity and the possible use of this population as a starting stock for future reintroductions elsewhere.