Combining Historical and Molecular Data to Study Nearly Extinct Native Italian Grey Partridge (Perdix perdix) at the Turn of the Twentieth Century

The grey partridge (Perdix perdix Linnaeus, 1758), is a polytypic species with seven recognized subspecies, including one subspecies (P. p. italica Hartert, 1917) that is endemic to the Italian peninsula. Until World War II, the species was widespread across Europe, but then severely declined due to anthropogenic causes, including hybridization. The contraction of the endemic population distribution range and the introduction of allochthonous genotypes that started at the beginning of the past century led to the impoverishment of the endemic gene pool. This is still one of the main threats to this species and is only partially managed through ex situ conservation programs. To understand the native genetic composition of Italian grey partridge, we performed genetic characterization of museum specimens, proving that museum samples are a reliable source of DNA for investigating the genetic structure of species or populations from the recent past. The data obtained highlight, along with a contraction in the distribution, a high presence of specimens coming from other European populations, suggesting an uncertain situation of the species in Italy, despite the conservation efforts made. Extensive historical bibliographic research allowed us to define time baselines and periods with different restocking pressures.