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Crates R, von Takach B, Young CM, Stojanovic D, Neaves LE, Murphy L, Gautschi D, Hogg CJ, Heinsohn R, Bell P, Farquharson KA. Genomic insights into the critically endangered King Island scrubtit. J Hered 2024; 115:552-564. [PMID: 38814752 PMCID: PMC11334212 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esae029] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2024] [Accepted: 05/28/2024] [Indexed: 06/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Small, fragmented, or isolated populations are at risk of population decline due to fitness costs associated with inbreeding and genetic drift. The King Island scrubtit Acanthornis magna greeniana is a critically endangered subspecies of the nominate Tasmanian scrubtit A. m. magna, with an estimated population of <100 individuals persisting in three patches of swamp forest. The Tasmanian scrubtit is widespread in wet forests on mainland Tasmania. We sequenced the scrubtit genome using PacBio HiFi and undertook a population genomic study of the King Island and Tasmanian scrubtits using a double-digest restriction site-associated DNA (ddRAD) dataset of 5,239 SNP loci. The genome was 1.48 Gb long, comprising 1,518 contigs with an N50 of 7.715 Mb. King Island scrubtits formed one of four overall genetic clusters, but separated into three distinct subpopulations when analyzed independently of the Tasmanian scrubtit. Pairwise FST values were greater among the King Island scrubtit subpopulations than among most Tasmanian scrubtit subpopulations. Genetic diversity was lower and inbreeding coefficients were higher in the King Island scrubtit than all except one of the Tasmanian scrubtit subpopulations. We observed crown baldness in 8/15 King Island scrubtits, but 0/55 Tasmanian scrubtits. Six loci were significantly associated with baldness, including one within the DOCK11 gene which is linked to early feather development. Contemporary gene flow between King Island scrubtit subpopulations is unlikely, with further field monitoring required to quantify the fitness consequences of its small population size, low genetic diversity, and high inbreeding. Evidence-based conservation actions can then be implemented before the taxon goes extinct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ross Crates
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Brenton von Takach
- School of Molecular and Life Sciences, Curtin University, Perth 6845, Australia
| | - Catherine M Young
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Dejan Stojanovic
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Linda E Neaves
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Liam Murphy
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Daniel Gautschi
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Carolyn J Hogg
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
| | - Robert Heinsohn
- Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Phil Bell
- Biological Sciences, School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania 7005, Australia
| | - Katherine A Farquharson
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney 2050, Australia
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2
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DiLeo MF, Nair A, Kardos M, Husby A, Saastamoinen M. Demography and environment modulate the effects of genetic diversity on extinction risk in a butterfly metapopulation. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2309455121. [PMID: 39116125 PMCID: PMC11331070 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2309455121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/04/2024] [Indexed: 08/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Linking genetic diversity to extinction is a common goal in genomic studies. Recently, a debate has arisen regarding the importance of genetic variation in conservation as some studies have failed to find associations between genome-wide genetic diversity and extinction risk. However, only rarely are genetic diversity and fitness measured together in the wild, and typically demographic history and environment are ignored. It is therefore difficult to infer whether a lack of an association is real or obscured by confounding factors. To address these shortcomings, we analyzed genetic data from 7,501 individuals with extinction data from 279 meadows and mortality of 1,742 larval nests in a butterfly metapopulation. We found a strong negative association between genetic diversity and extinction when considering only heterozygosity in models. However, this association disappeared when accounting for ecological covariates, suggesting a confounding between demography and genetics and a more complex role for heterozygosity in extinction risk. Modeling interactions between heterozygosity and demographic variables revealed that associations between extinction and heterozygosity were context-dependent. For example, extinction declined with increasing heterozygosity in large, but not currently small populations, although negative associations between heterozygosity, extinction, and mortality were detected in small populations with a recent history of decline. We conclude that low genetic diversity is an important predictor of extinction, predicting >25% increase in extinction beyond ecological factors in certain contexts. These results highlight that inferences about the importance of genetic diversity for population viability should not rely on genomic data alone but require investments in obtaining demographic and environmental data from natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle F. DiLeo
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki00014, Finland
- Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, Peterborough, ONK9L 1Z8, Canada
| | - Abhilash Nair
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki00014, Finland
| | - Marty Kardos
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA98112
| | - Arild Husby
- Evolutionary Biology, Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala75236, Sweden
| | - Marjo Saastamoinen
- Research Centre for Ecological Change, Organismal and Evolutionary Biology Research Programme, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki00014, Finland
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3
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Scott AM, Kovach AI. FecalSeq enrichment with RAD Sequencing from non-invasive environmental samples holds promise for genetic monitoring of an imperiled lagomorph. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17575. [PMID: 39080335 PMCID: PMC11289273 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67764-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Despite advances in genomic sequencing and bioinformatics, conservation genomics is still often hindered by a reliance on non-invasive samples. The presence of exogenous DNA and the low quantity and poor quality of DNA in non-invasive samples have been a roadblock to sequencing, thereby limiting the potential for genomic monitoring of endangered species. Recent molecular advances, such as host DNA enrichment, hold promise for facilitating sequencing from non-invasive samples. We used the FecalSeq method to enrich DNA extracted from wild-collected fecal pellets of the imperiled New England cottontail and identified SNPs from 3RAD Sequencing. We obtained SNPs from rabbit pellets, including pellets that were collected in poor environmental conditions and samples that performed poorly with microsatellites. Measures of sequencing success improved with greater amounts of starting DNA and 32% of samples generated SNP genotypes that passed quality control filtering. Genotyping error rates were high, however, and the approach was unable to consistently distinguish unique individuals or matching genotypes, while it was suitable for recovering the expected population structure. Pairing FecalSeq enrichment with RADseq is a promising low-cost method for monitoring wild populations using non-invasive samples in an environmental context, but it may be better suited for informing conservation through population genomics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy M Scott
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA.
| | - Adrienne I Kovach
- Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH, 03824, USA
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4
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Tian R, Zhang Y, Kang H, Zhang F, Jin Z, Wang J, Zhang P, Zhou X, Lanyon JM, Sneath HL, Woolford L, Fan G, Li S, Seim I. Sirenian genomes illuminate the evolution of fully aquatic species within the mammalian superorder afrotheria. Nat Commun 2024; 15:5568. [PMID: 38956050 PMCID: PMC11219930 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49769-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 07/04/2024] Open
Abstract
Sirenians of the superorder Afrotheria were the first mammals to transition from land to water and are the only herbivorous marine mammals. Here, we generated a chromosome-level dugong (Dugong dugon) genome. A comparison of our assembly with other afrotherian genomes reveals possible molecular adaptations to aquatic life by sirenians, including a shift in daily activity patterns (circadian clock) and tolerance to a high-iodine plant diet mediated through changes in the iodide transporter NIS (SLC5A5) and its co-transporters. Functional in vitro assays confirm that sirenian amino acid substitutions alter the properties of the circadian clock protein PER2 and NIS. Sirenians show evidence of convergent regression of integumentary system (skin and its appendages) genes with cetaceans. Our analysis also uncovers gene losses that may be maladaptive in a modern environment, including a candidate gene (KCNK18) for sirenian cold stress syndrome likely lost during their evolutionary shift in daily activity patterns. Genomes from nine Australian locations and the functionally extinct Okinawan population confirm and date a genetic break ~10.7 thousand years ago on the Australian east coast and provide evidence of an associated ecotype, and highlight the need for whole-genome resequencing data from dugong populations worldwide for conservation and genetic management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ran Tian
- Integrative Biology Laboratory, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Yaolei Zhang
- BGI Research, Qingdao, 266555, China
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics BGI Research, Qingdao, 266555, China
| | - Hui Kang
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, 572000, China
- The Innovation Research Center for Aquatic Mammals, and Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China
| | - Fan Zhang
- Integrative Biology Laboratory, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Zhihong Jin
- Integrative Biology Laboratory, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China
| | - Jiahao Wang
- BGI Research, Qingdao, 266555, China
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China
| | - Peijun Zhang
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, 572000, China
| | - Xuming Zhou
- Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101, China
- School of Life Sciences, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230027, China
| | - Janet M Lanyon
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Lucia, 4072, Australia
| | - Helen L Sneath
- School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Lucia, 4072, Australia
| | - Lucy Woolford
- School of Veterinary Sciences, The University of Adelaide, Roseworthy, 5371, Australia
| | - Guangyi Fan
- BGI Research, Qingdao, 266555, China.
- BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
- Qingdao Key Laboratory of Marine Genomics BGI Research, Qingdao, 266555, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI Research, Shenzhen, 518083, China.
| | - Songhai Li
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, 572000, China.
- The Innovation Research Center for Aquatic Mammals, and Key Laboratory of Aquatic Biodiversity and Conservation of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Wuhan, 430072, China.
| | - Inge Seim
- Integrative Biology Laboratory, Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, 210023, China.
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, 572000, China.
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5
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Cars BS, Kessler C, Hoffman EA, Côté SD, Koelsch D, Shafer ABA. Island demographics and trait associations in white-tailed deer. Heredity (Edinb) 2024; 133:1-10. [PMID: 38802598 PMCID: PMC11222433 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-024-00685-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2023] [Revised: 04/22/2024] [Accepted: 04/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
When a population is isolated and composed of few individuals, genetic drift is the paramount evolutionary force and results in the loss of genetic diversity. Inbreeding might also occur, resulting in genomic regions that are identical by descent, manifesting as runs of homozygosity (ROHs) and the expression of recessive traits. Likewise, the genes underlying traits of interest can be revealed by comparing fixed SNPs and divergent haplotypes between affected and unaffected individuals. Populations of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) on islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon (SPM, France) have high incidences of leucism and malocclusions, both considered genetic defects; on the Florida Keys islands (USA) deer exhibit smaller body sizes, a polygenic trait. Here we aimed to reconstruct island demography and identify the genes associated with these traits in a pseudo case-control design. The two island populations showed reduced levels of genomic diversity and a build-up of deleterious mutations compared to mainland deer; there was also significant genome-wide divergence in Key deer. Key deer showed higher inbreeding levels, but not longer ROHs, consistent with long-term isolation. We identified multiple trait-related genes in ROHs including LAMTOR2 which has links to pigmentation changes, and NPVF which is linked to craniofacial abnormalities. Our mixed approach of linking ROHs, fixed SNPs and haplotypes matched a high number (~50) of a-priori body size candidate genes in Key deer. This suite of biomarkers and candidate genes should prove useful for population monitoring, noting all three phenotypes show patterns consistent with a complex trait and non-Mendelian inheritance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brooklyn S Cars
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada
- Department of Forensics, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Camille Kessler
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada
| | - Eric A Hoffman
- Department of Biology, University of Central Florida, 4000, Central Florida Blvd, Orlando, FL, USA
| | - Steeve D Côté
- Département de Biologie and Centre d'Études Nordiques, Université Laval, Québec, QC, G1V 0A6, Canada
| | - Daniel Koelsch
- Fédération des chasseurs de Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France
- Direction des Territoires de l'Alimentation et de la Mer, service Biodiversité, Saint-Pierre et Miquelon, France
| | - Aaron B A Shafer
- Environmental and Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada.
- Department of Forensics, Trent University, 2140 East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON, K9J 7B8, Canada.
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6
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Hemstrom W, Grummer JA, Luikart G, Christie MR. Next-generation data filtering in the genomics era. Nat Rev Genet 2024:10.1038/s41576-024-00738-6. [PMID: 38877133 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-024-00738-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/25/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Genomic data are ubiquitous across disciplines, from agriculture to biodiversity, ecology, evolution and human health. However, these datasets often contain noise or errors and are missing information that can affect the accuracy and reliability of subsequent computational analyses and conclusions. A key step in genomic data analysis is filtering - removing sequencing bases, reads, genetic variants and/or individuals from a dataset - to improve data quality for downstream analyses. Researchers are confronted with a multitude of choices when filtering genomic data; they must choose which filters to apply and select appropriate thresholds. To help usher in the next generation of genomic data filtering, we review and suggest best practices to improve the implementation, reproducibility and reporting standards for filter types and thresholds commonly applied to genomic datasets. We focus mainly on filters for minor allele frequency, missing data per individual or per locus, linkage disequilibrium and Hardy-Weinberg deviations. Using simulated and empirical datasets, we illustrate the large effects of different filtering thresholds on common population genetics statistics, such as Tajima's D value, population differentiation (FST), nucleotide diversity (π) and effective population size (Ne).
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Affiliation(s)
- William Hemstrom
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
| | - Jared A Grummer
- Flathead Lake Biological Station, Wildlife Biology Program and Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Gordon Luikart
- Flathead Lake Biological Station, Wildlife Biology Program and Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, USA
| | - Mark R Christie
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
- Department of Forestry and Natural Resources, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, USA.
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7
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Summers J, Cosgrove EJ, Bowman R, Fitzpatrick JW, Chen N. Impacts of increasing isolation and environmental variation on Florida Scrub-Jay demography. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.10.575127. [PMID: 38260596 PMCID: PMC10802623 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.10.575127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2024]
Abstract
Isolation caused by anthropogenic habitat fragmentation can destabilize populations. Populations relying on the inflow of immigrants can face reduced fitness due to inbreeding depression as fewer new individuals arrive. Empirical studies of the demographic consequences of isolation are critical to understand how populations persist through changing conditions. We used a 34-year demographic and environmental dataset from a population of cooperatively-breeding Florida Scrub-Jays ( Aphelocoma coerulescens ) to create mechanistic models linking environmental and demographic factors to population growth rates. We found that the population has not declined despite both declining immigration and increasing inbreeding, owing to a coinciding response in breeder survival. We find evidence of density-dependent immigration, breeder survival, and fecundity, indicating that interactions between vital rates and local density play a role in buffering the population against change. Our study elucidates the impacts of isolation on demography and how long-term stability is maintained via demographic responses.
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8
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Hogg CJ. Translating genomic advances into biodiversity conservation. Nat Rev Genet 2024; 25:362-373. [PMID: 38012268 DOI: 10.1038/s41576-023-00671-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
A key action of the new Global Biodiversity Framework is the maintenance of genetic diversity in all species to safeguard their adaptive potential. To achieve this goal, a translational mindset, which aims to convert results of basic research into direct practical benefits, needs to be applied to biodiversity conservation. Despite much discussion on the value of genomics to conservation, a disconnect between those generating genomic resources and those applying it to biodiversity management remains. As global efforts to generate reference genomes for non-model species increase, investment into practical biodiversity applications is critically important. Applications such as understanding population and multispecies diversity and longitudinal monitoring need support alongside education for policymakers on integrating the data into evidence-based decisions. Without such investment, the opportunity to revolutionize global biodiversity conservation using genomics will not be fully realized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolyn J Hogg
- School of Life & Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
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9
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Hewett AM, Johnston SE, Morris A, Morris S, Pemberton JM. Genetic architecture of inbreeding depression may explain its persistence in a population of wild red deer. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17335. [PMID: 38549143 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17335] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 04/23/2024]
Abstract
Inbreeding depression is of major concern in declining populations, but relatively little is known about its genetic architecture in wild populations, such as the degree to which it is composed of large or small effect loci and their distribution throughout the genome. Here, we combine fitness and genomic data from a wild population of red deer to investigate the genomic distribution of inbreeding effects. Based on the runs of homozygosity (ROH)-based inbreeding coefficient, FROH, we use chromosome-specific inbreeding coefficients (FROHChr) to explore whether the effect of inbreeding varies between chromosomes. Under the assumption that within an individual the probability of being identical-by-descent is equal across all chromosomes, we used a multi-membership model to estimate the deviation of FROHChr from the average inbreeding effect. This novel approach ensures effect sizes are not overestimated whilst maximising the power of our available dataset of >3000 individuals genotyped on >35,000 autosomal SNPs. We find that most chromosomes confer a minor reduction in fitness-related traits, which when these effects are summed, results in the observed inbreeding depression in birth weight, survival and lifetime breeding success. However, no chromosomes had a significant detrimental effect compared to the overall effect of inbreeding, indicating no major effect loci. We conclude that in this population, inbreeding depression is likely the result of multiple mildly or moderately deleterious mutations spread across all chromosomes, which are difficult to detect with statistical confidence. Such mutations will be inefficiently purged, which may explain the persistence of inbreeding depression in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M Hewett
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne (UNIL), Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Susan E Johnston
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alison Morris
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sean Morris
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Josephine M Pemberton
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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10
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Wilder AP, Steiner CC, Hendricks S, Haller BC, Kim C, Korody ML, Ryder OA. Genetic load and viability of a future restored northern white rhino population. Evol Appl 2024; 17:e13683. [PMID: 38617823 PMCID: PMC11009427 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13683] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Revised: 03/04/2024] [Accepted: 03/06/2024] [Indexed: 04/16/2024] Open
Abstract
As biodiversity loss outpaces recovery, conservationists are increasingly turning to novel tools for preventing extinction, including cloning and in vitro gametogenesis of biobanked cells. However, restoration of populations can be hindered by low genetic diversity and deleterious genetic load. The persistence of the northern white rhino (Ceratotherium simum cottoni) now depends on the cryopreserved cells of 12 individuals. These banked genomes have higher genetic diversity than southern white rhinos (C. s. simum), a sister subspecies that successfully recovered from a severe bottleneck, but the potential impact of genetic load is unknown. We estimated how demographic history has shaped genome-wide genetic load in nine northern and 13 southern white rhinos. The bottleneck left southern white rhinos with more fixed and homozygous deleterious alleles and longer runs of homozygosity, whereas northern white rhinos retained more deleterious alleles masked in heterozygosity. To gauge the impact of genetic load on the fitness of a northern white rhino population restored from biobanked cells, we simulated recovery using fitness of southern white rhinos as a benchmark for a viable population. Unlike traditional restoration, cell-derived founders can be reintroduced in subsequent generations to boost lost genetic diversity and relieve inbreeding. In simulations with repeated reintroduction of founders into a restored population, the fitness cost of genetic load remained lower than that borne by southern white rhinos. Without reintroductions, rapid growth of the restored population (>20-30% per generation) would be needed to maintain comparable fitness. Our results suggest that inbreeding depression from genetic load is not necessarily a barrier to recovery of the northern white rhino and demonstrate how restoration from biobanked cells relieves some constraints of conventional restoration from a limited founder pool. Established conservation methods that protect healthy populations will remain paramount, but emerging technologies hold promise to bolster these tools to combat the extinction crisis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryn P. Wilder
- Conservation GeneticsSan Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceEscondidoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Cynthia C. Steiner
- Conservation GeneticsSan Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceEscondidoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Sarah Hendricks
- Conservation GeneticsSan Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceEscondidoCaliforniaUSA
- Institute for Interdisciplinary Data SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIdahoUSA
| | | | - Chang Kim
- University of CaliforniaSanta Cruz Genomics InstituteSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
- Department of Neurological SurgeryUniversity of CaliforniaSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Marisa L. Korody
- Conservation GeneticsSan Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceEscondidoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Oliver A. Ryder
- Conservation GeneticsSan Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceEscondidoCaliforniaUSA
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11
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Taylor RS, Manseau M, Keobouasone S, Liu P, Mastromonaco G, Solmundson K, Kelly A, Larter NC, Gamberg M, Schwantje H, Thacker C, Polfus J, Andrew L, Hervieux D, Simmons D, Wilson PJ. High genetic load without purging in caribou, a diverse species at risk. Curr Biol 2024; 34:1234-1246.e7. [PMID: 38417444 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2023] [Revised: 11/17/2023] [Accepted: 02/01/2024] [Indexed: 03/01/2024]
Abstract
High intra-specific genetic diversity is associated with adaptive potential, which is key for resilience to global change. However, high variation may also support deleterious alleles through genetic load, thereby increasing the risk of inbreeding depression if population sizes decrease. Purging of deleterious variation has been demonstrated in some threatened species. However, less is known about the costs of declines and inbreeding in species with large population sizes and high genetic diversity even though this encompasses many species globally that are expected to undergo population declines. Caribou is a species of ecological and cultural significance in North America with a wide distribution supporting extensive phenotypic variation but with some populations undergoing significant declines resulting in their at-risk status in Canada. We assessed intra-specific genetic variation, adaptive divergence, inbreeding, and genetic load across populations with different demographic histories using an annotated chromosome-scale reference genome and 66 whole-genome sequences. We found high genetic diversity and nine phylogenomic lineages across the continent with adaptive diversification of genes, but also high genetic load among lineages. We found highly divergent levels of inbreeding across individuals, including the loss of alleles by drift but not increased purging in inbred individuals, which had more homozygous deleterious alleles. We also found comparable frequencies of homozygous deleterious alleles between lineages regardless of nucleotide diversity. Thus, further inbreeding may need to be mitigated through conservation efforts. Our results highlight the "double-edged sword" of genetic diversity that may be representative of other species atrisk affected by anthropogenic activities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca S Taylor
- Landscape Science and Technology, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada.
| | - Micheline Manseau
- Landscape Science and Technology, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Sonesinh Keobouasone
- Landscape Science and Technology, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | - Peng Liu
- Landscape Science and Technology, Environment and Climate Change Canada, Colonel By Drive, Ottawa, ON K1S 5B6, Canada
| | | | - Kirsten Solmundson
- Environmental & Life Sciences Graduate Program, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 1Z8, Canada
| | - Allicia Kelly
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Northwest Territories, PO Box 900, Fort Smith, NT X0E 0P0, Canada
| | - Nicholas C Larter
- Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Government of Northwest Territories, PO Box 900, Fort Smith, NT X0E 0P0, Canada
| | - Mary Gamberg
- Gamberg Consulting, Jarvis Street, Whitehorse, YK Y1A 2J2, Canada
| | - Helen Schwantje
- British Columbia Ministry of Forest, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development, Labieux Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6E9, Canada
| | - Caeley Thacker
- British Columbia Ministry of Forest, Lands, Natural Resource Operations, and Rural Development, Labieux Road, Nanaimo, BC V9T 6E9, Canada
| | - Jean Polfus
- Canadian Wildlife Service - Pacific Region, Environment and Climate Change Canada, 1238 Discovery Avenue, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V9, Canada
| | - Leon Andrew
- Ɂehdzo Got'ı̨nę Gots'ę́ Nákedı (Sahtú Renewable Resources Board), P.O. Box 134, Tulít'a, NT X0E 0K0, Canada
| | - Dave Hervieux
- Alberta Ministry of Environment and Protected Areas, Government of Alberta, 10320-99 Street, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 6J4, Canada
| | - Deborah Simmons
- Ɂehdzo Got'ı̨nę Gots'ę́ Nákedı (Sahtú Renewable Resources Board), P.O. Box 134, Tulít'a, NT X0E 0K0, Canada
| | - Paul J Wilson
- Biology Department, Trent University, East Bank Drive, Peterborough, ON K9L 1Z8, Canada
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12
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Morin PA, McCarthy ML, Fung CW, Durban JW, Parsons KM, Perrin WF, Taylor BL, Jefferson TA, Archer FI. Revised taxonomy of eastern North Pacific killer whales ( Orcinus orca): Bigg's and resident ecotypes deserve species status. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231368. [PMID: 38545612 PMCID: PMC10966402 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231368] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2023] [Revised: 01/29/2024] [Accepted: 02/10/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Killer whales (Orcinus orca) are currently recognized as a single ecologically and morphologically diverse, globally distributed species. Multiple morphotypes or ecotypes have been described, often associated with feeding specialization, and several studies have suggested taxonomic revision to include multiple subspecies or species in the genus. We review the ecological, morphological and genetic data for the well-studied 'resident' and Bigg's (aka 'transient') ecotypes in the eastern North Pacific and use quantitative taxonomic guidelines and standards to determine whether the taxonomic status of these killer whale ecotypes should be revised. Our review and new analyses indicate that species-level status is justified in both cases, and we conclude that eastern North Pacific Bigg's killer whales should be recognized as Orcinus rectipinnus (Cope in Scammon, 1869) and resident killer whales should be recognized as Orcinus ater (Cope in Scammon, 1869).
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Affiliation(s)
- Phillip A. Morin
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Morgan L. McCarthy
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Charissa W. Fung
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British ColumbiaV6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - John W. Durban
- Marine Mammal Institute, Oregon State University, Newport, OR97365, USA
| | - Kim M. Parsons
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, Seattle, WA98112, USA
| | - William F. Perrin
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Barbara L. Taylor
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Thomas A. Jefferson
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
| | - Frederick I. Archer
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA92037, USA
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13
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Schiebelhut LM, Guillaume AS, Kuhn A, Schweizer RM, Armstrong EE, Beaumont MA, Byrne M, Cosart T, Hand BK, Howard L, Mussmann SM, Narum SR, Rasteiro R, Rivera-Colón AG, Saarman N, Sethuraman A, Taylor HR, Thomas GWC, Wellenreuther M, Luikart G. Genomics and conservation: Guidance from training to analyses and applications. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13893. [PMID: 37966259 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/30/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Environmental change is intensifying the biodiversity crisis and threatening species across the tree of life. Conservation genomics can help inform conservation actions and slow biodiversity loss. However, more training, appropriate use of novel genomic methods and communication with managers are needed. Here, we review practical guidance to improve applied conservation genomics. We share insights aimed at ensuring effectiveness of conservation actions around three themes: (1) improving pedagogy and training in conservation genomics including for online global audiences, (2) conducting rigorous population genomic analyses properly considering theory, marker types and data interpretation and (3) facilitating communication and collaboration between managers and researchers. We aim to update students and professionals and expand their conservation toolkit with genomic principles and recent approaches for conserving and managing biodiversity. The biodiversity crisis is a global problem and, as such, requires international involvement, training, collaboration and frequent reviews of the literature and workshops as we do here.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren M Schiebelhut
- Life and Environmental Sciences, University of California, Merced, California, USA
| | - Annie S Guillaume
- Geospatial Molecular Epidemiology group (GEOME), Laboratory for Biological Geochemistry (LGB), École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Arianna Kuhn
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada
- Virginia Museum of Natural History, Martinsville, Virginia, USA
| | - Rena M Schweizer
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | | | - Mark A Beaumont
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Margaret Byrne
- Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Ted Cosart
- Flathead Lake Biology Station, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Brian K Hand
- Flathead Lake Biological Station, University of Montana, Polson, Montana, USA
| | - Leif Howard
- Flathead Lake Biology Station, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Steven M Mussmann
- Southwestern Native Aquatic Resources and Recovery Center, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, Dexter, New Mexico, USA
| | - Shawn R Narum
- Hagerman Genetics Lab, University of Idaho, Hagerman, Idaho, USA
| | - Rita Rasteiro
- MRC Integrative Epidemiology Unit, University of Bristol, Bristol, UK
| | - Angel G Rivera-Colón
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, USA
| | - Norah Saarman
- Department of Biology and Ecology Center, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, USA
| | - Arun Sethuraman
- Department of Biology, San Diego State University, San Diego, California, USA
| | - Helen R Taylor
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Gregg W C Thomas
- Informatics Group, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Maren Wellenreuther
- Plant and Food Research, Nelson, New Zealand
- University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Gordon Luikart
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
- Flathead Lake Biology Station, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
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14
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White LC, Städele V, Ramirez Amaya S, Langergraber K, Vigilant L. Female chimpanzees avoid inbreeding even in the presence of substantial bisexual philopatry. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:230967. [PMID: 38234436 PMCID: PMC10791533 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230967] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Inbreeding (reproduction between relatives) often decreases the fitness of offspring and is thus expected to lead to the evolution of inbreeding avoidance strategies. Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are expected to avoid inbreeding as they are long-lived, invest heavily in offspring and may encounter adult, opposite sex kin frequently, especially in populations where both males and females commonly remain in the group in which they were born (bisexual philopatry). However, it is unclear whether substantial bisexual philopatry has been a feature of chimpanzees' evolutionary history or whether it is a result of recent anthropogenic interference, as the only groups for which it has been documented are significantly impacted by human encroachment and experience notable rates of potentially unsustainable inbreeding. Here we use 14 years of observational data and a large genomic dataset of 256 481 loci sequenced from 459 individuals to document dispersal and inbreeding dynamics in an eastern chimpanzee (P. t. schweinfurthii) community with low levels of anthropogenic disturbance. We document the first case of substantial bisexual philopatry in a relatively undisturbed chimpanzee community and show that, despite an increased inbreeding risk incurred by females who do not disperse before reaching reproductive age, natal females were still able to avoid producing inbred offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren C. White
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Arthur Rylah Institute for Environmental Research, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Veronika Städele
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Sebastian Ramirez Amaya
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Kevin Langergraber
- Institute of Human Origins, School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Linda Vigilant
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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15
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Fischman RL, Ruhl JB, Forester BR, Lama TM, Kardos M, Rojas GA, Robinson NA, Shirey PD, Lamberti GA, Ando AW, Palumbi S, Wara M, Schwartz MW, Williamson MA, Berger-Wolf T, Beery S, Rolnick D, Kitzes J, Thau D, Tuia D, Rubenstein D, Hickman CR, Thorstenson J, Kaebnick GE, Collins JP, Jayaram A, Deleuil T, Zhao Y. A landmark environmental law looks ahead. Science 2023; 382:1348-1355. [PMID: 38127744 DOI: 10.1126/science.adn3245] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
In late December 1973, the United States enacted what some would come to call "the pitbull of environmental laws." In the 50 years since, the formidable regulatory teeth of the Endangered Species Act (ESA) have been credited with considerable successes, obliging agencies to draw upon the best available science to protect species and habitats. Yet human pressures continue to push the planet toward extinctions on a massive scale. With that prospect looming, and with scientific understanding ever changing, Science invited experts to discuss how the ESA has evolved and what its future might hold. -Brad Wible.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - J B Ruhl
- Vanderbilt University Law School, Nashville, TN, USA
| | | | - Tanya M Lama
- Department of Biological Sciences, Smith College, Northampton, MA, USA
| | - Marty Kardos
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Grethel Aguilar Rojas
- Director General, International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Gland, Switzerland
| | - Nicholas A Robinson
- Executive Governor, International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL), New York, NY, USA
| | - Patrick D Shirey
- Department of Geology and Environmental Science, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - Gary A Lamberti
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Amy W Ando
- Department of Agricultural, Environmental, and Development Economics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
| | - Stephen Palumbi
- Department of Oceans and Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Michael Wara
- Woods Institute for the Environment, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Mark W Schwartz
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | | | - Tanya Berger-Wolf
- Departments of Computer Science and Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, and Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA
- Wild Me, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Sara Beery
- Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - David Rolnick
- School of Computer Science, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
- Mila-Quebec AI Institute, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Justin Kitzes
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
| | - David Thau
- World Wildlife Fund, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Devis Tuia
- School of Architecture, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Sion, Switzerland
| | - Daniel Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Caleb R Hickman
- Office of Fisheries & Wildlife Management, Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, Cherokee, NC, USA
| | | | | | - James P Collins
- School for the Future of Innovation in Society, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | | | | | - Ying Zhao
- CITES Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland
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16
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Nagy I, Nguyen TA. Characterizing and Eliminating the Inbreeding Load. Vet Sci 2023; 11:8. [PMID: 38250914 PMCID: PMC10819885 DOI: 10.3390/vetsci11010008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2023] [Revised: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 12/19/2023] [Indexed: 01/23/2024] Open
Abstract
The authors evaluated the relevant literature related to purging, which is the interaction between selection and inbreeding in which the population may eliminate its inbreeding load at least partially. According to the relevant literature, the inbreeding load and the process of purging were evaluated via pedigree methods based on ancestral inbreeding, the inbreeding-purging model, and expressed opportunity of purging, along with genomic methods. Most ancestral inbreeding-related studies were performed in zoos, where only a small proportion of the studied populations show signs of purging. The inbreeding-purging model was developed with Drosophila, and it was used to evaluate different zoo ungulates and Pannon white rabbits. Purging was detected in both studies. The expressed opportunity of purging was applied in Jersey cattle and Pannon white rabbits. In the Jersey cattle, it had an effect of 12.6% for fitness, while in the Pannon white rabbits, the inbreeding load was between 40% and 80% of its original value. The genomic studies also signalled purging, but they also made it clear that, contrary to the detected purging, the evaluated populations still suffered from inbreeding depression. Therefore, especially for domesticated animals, it can be concluded that deliberate inbreeding with the purpose of generating purging is not advocated.
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Affiliation(s)
- István Nagy
- Institute of Animal Sciences, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences (MATE), Guba Sándor u. 40, 7400 Kaposvár, Hungary;
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17
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Kardos M. Genomes of an endangered rattlesnake show that neutral genetic variation predicts adaptive genetic variation and genetic load. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2316880120. [PMID: 38011578 PMCID: PMC10710039 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2316880120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Marty Kardos
- Conservation Biology Division, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA98112
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18
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Hoelzel AR. Where to now with the evolutionarily significant unit? Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:1134-1142. [PMID: 37596130 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.07.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/23/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 07/21/2023] [Indexed: 08/20/2023]
Abstract
The designation of units for conservation has been a necessary but challenging objective since conservation efforts began. Most species are divided, typically by environment, into populations with independent evolutionary trajectories. There are practical conservation objectives for defining these boundaries. Separate genetic clusters provide future evolutionary potential as environments change, and individuals in isolated populations may lose fitness when population size is reduced. The history of the effort to define units is briefly reviewed here, but I focus on finding a process that may facilitate uniform and effective application at a time when conservation urgency is great. I propose a refinement of the designated unit concept, distinguishing between conservation units (CUs) and evolutionarily sustaining conservation units (ESCUs).
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Affiliation(s)
- A Rus Hoelzel
- Department of Biosciences, Durham University, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.
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19
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Reeves IM, Totterdell JA, Betty EL, Donnelly DM, George A, Holmes S, Moller L, Stockin KA, Wellard R, White C, Foote AD. Ancestry testing of "Old Tom," a killer whale central to mutualistic interactions with human whalers. J Hered 2023; 114:598-611. [PMID: 37821799 PMCID: PMC10650950 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad058] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2023] [Accepted: 09/21/2023] [Indexed: 10/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Cooperative hunting between humans and killer whales (Orcinus orca) targeting baleen whales was reported in Eden, New South Wales, Australia, for almost a century. By 1928, whaling operations had ceased, and local killer whale sightings became scarce. A killer whale from the group, known as "Old Tom," washed up dead in 1930 and his skeleton was preserved. How these killer whales from Eden relate to other populations globally and whether their genetic descendants persist today remains unknown. We extracted and sequenced DNA from Old Tom using ancient DNA techniques. Genomic sequences were then compared with a global dataset of mitochondrial and nuclear genomes. Old Tom shared a most recent common ancestor with killer whales from Australasia, the North Atlantic, and the North Pacific, having the highest genetic similarity with contemporary New Zealand killer whales. However, much of the variation found in Old Tom's genome was not shared with these widespread populations, suggesting ancestral rather than ongoing gene flow. Our genetic comparisons also failed to find any clear descendants of Tom, raising the possibility of local extinction of this group. We integrated Traditional Custodian knowledge to recapture the events in Eden and recognize that Indigenous Australians initiated the relationship with the killer whales before European colonization and the advent of commercial whaling locally. This study rectifies discrepancies in local records and provides new insight into the origins of the killer whales in Eden and the history of Australasian killer whales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabella M Reeves
- Flinders University, College of Science and Engineering, Bedford Park, Adelaide,South Australia, Australia
- Cetacean Research Centre (CETREC WA), Esperance, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - John A Totterdell
- Cetacean Research Centre (CETREC WA), Esperance, Perth, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Emma L Betty
- Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - David M Donnelly
- Killer Whales Australia, Mornington, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - Angela George
- Eden Killer Whale Museum, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Steven Holmes
- Eden Killer Whale Museum, New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Luciana Moller
- Flinders University, College of Science and Engineering, Bedford Park, Adelaide,South Australia, Australia
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Laboratory, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
- Molecular Ecology Laboratory, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Karen A Stockin
- Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, Auckland, New Zealand
| | | | - Charlie White
- Flinders University, College of Science and Engineering, Bedford Park, Adelaide,South Australia, Australia
- Cetacean Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution Laboratory, College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Bedford Park, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Andrew D Foote
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Biosciences, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
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20
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Wang D, Salehian-Dehkordi H, Suo L, Lv F. Impacts of Population Size and Domestication Process on Genetic Diversity and Genetic Load in Genus Ovis. Genes (Basel) 2023; 14:1977. [PMID: 37895326 PMCID: PMC10606048 DOI: 10.3390/genes14101977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2023] [Revised: 10/19/2023] [Accepted: 10/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In theoretical biology, a prevailing hypothesis posits a profound interconnection between effective population size (Ne), genetic diversity, inbreeding, and genetic load. The domestication and improvement processes are believed to be pivotal in diminishing genetic diversity while elevating levels of inbreeding and increasing genetic load. In this study, we performed a whole genome analysis to quantity genetic diversity, inbreeding, and genetic load across seven wild Ovis species and five domesticated sheep breeds. Our research demonstrates that the genetic load and diversity of species in the genus Ovis have no discernible impact on recent Ne, and three species within the subgenus Pachyceros tend to carry a higher genetic load and lower genetic diversity patterns. The results coincide with these species' dramatic decline in population sizes within the subgenus Pachyceros ~80-250 thousand years ago. European mouflon presented with the lowest Ne, lower genetic diversity, and higher individual inbreeding coefficient but a lower genetic load (missense and LoF). This suggests that the small Ne of European mouflon could reduce harmful mutations compared to other species within the genus Ovis. We showed lower genetic diversity in domesticated sheep than in Asiatic mouflon, but counterintuitive patterns of genetic load, i.e., lower weak genetic load (missense mutation) and no significant difference in strong genetic load (LoF mutation) between domestic sheep and Asiatic mouflon. These findings reveal that the "cost of domestication" during domestication and improvement processes reduced genetic diversity and purified weak genetic load more efficiently than wild species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dongfeng Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), Beijing 100101, China;
- College of Life Sciences, University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (UCAS), Beijing 100049, China
- College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China;
| | | | - Langda Suo
- Institute of Animal Science, Tibet Academy of Agricultural and Animal Husbandry Sciences, Lhasa 850009, China;
| | - Fenghua Lv
- College of Animal Science and Technology, China Agricultural University, Beijing 100193, China;
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21
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Sozzoni M, Ferrer Obiol J, Formenti G, Tigano A, Paris JR, Balacco JR, Jain N, Tilley T, Collins J, Sims Y, Wood J, Benowitz-Fredericks ZM, Field KA, Seyoum E, Gatt MC, Léandri-Breton DJ, Nakajima C, Whelan S, Gianfranceschi L, Hatch SA, Elliott KH, Shoji A, Cecere JG, Jarvis ED, Pilastro A, Rubolini D. A Chromosome-Level Reference Genome for the Black-Legged Kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), a Declining Circumpolar Seabird. Genome Biol Evol 2023; 15:evad153. [PMID: 37590950 PMCID: PMC10457150 DOI: 10.1093/gbe/evad153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 08/02/2023] [Accepted: 08/09/2023] [Indexed: 08/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Amidst the current biodiversity crisis, the availability of genomic resources for declining species can provide important insights into the factors driving population decline. In the early 1990s, the black-legged kittiwake (Rissa tridactyla), a pelagic gull widely distributed across the arctic, subarctic, and temperate zones, suffered a steep population decline following an abrupt warming of sea surface temperature across its distribution range and is currently listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Kittiwakes have long been the focus for field studies of physiology, ecology, and ecotoxicology and are primary indicators of fluctuating ecological conditions in arctic and subarctic marine ecosystems. We present a high-quality chromosome-level reference genome and annotation for the black-legged kittiwake using a combination of Pacific Biosciences HiFi sequencing, Bionano optical maps, Hi-C reads, and RNA-Seq data. The final assembly spans 1.35 Gb across 32 chromosomes, with a scaffold N50 of 88.21 Mb and a BUSCO completeness of 97.4%. This genome assembly substantially improves the quality of a previous draft genome, showing an approximately 5× increase in contiguity and a more complete annotation. Using this new chromosome-level reference genome and three more chromosome-level assemblies of Charadriiformes, we uncover several lineage-specific chromosome fusions and fissions, but find no shared rearrangements, suggesting that interchromosomal rearrangements have been commonplace throughout the diversification of Charadriiformes. This new high-quality genome assembly will enable population genomic, transcriptomic, and phenotype-genotype association studies in a widely studied sentinel species, which may provide important insights into the impacts of global change on marine systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marcella Sozzoni
- Department of Biology, University of Florence, Sesto Fiorentino, Florence, Italy
| | - Joan Ferrer Obiol
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Giulio Formenti
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Anna Tigano
- Department of Biology, Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Josephine R Paris
- Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Marche Polytechnic University, Ancona, Italy
| | - Jennifer R Balacco
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Nivesh Jain
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Tatiana Tilley
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
| | - Joanna Collins
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ying Sims
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Jonathan Wood
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Kenneth A Field
- Department of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Eyuel Seyoum
- Department of Biology, Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Marie Claire Gatt
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
| | - Don-Jean Léandri-Breton
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
- Centre d’Études Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC), UMR 7372 - CNRS & Université de La Rochelle, Villiers-en-Bois, France
| | - Chinatsu Nakajima
- Department of Life and Environmental Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | - Shannon Whelan
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Scott A Hatch
- Institute for Seabird Research and Conservation, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | - Kyle H Elliott
- Department of Natural Resource Sciences, McGill University, Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec, Canada
| | - Akiko Shoji
- Department of Life and Environmental Science, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Japan
| | | | - Erich D Jarvis
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, New York, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Chevy Chase, Maryland, USA
| | | | - Diego Rubolini
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of Milan, Milan, Italy
- Water Research Institute, IRSA-CNR, Brugherio, Monza and Brianza, Italy
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MacDuffee M, Barrett-Lennard L, Chhor A, Dennert AM, Ross PS, Scott DC, Vergara V, Walters K. Will Canada permit killer whale extinction? Science 2023; 380:1330. [PMID: 37384681 DOI: 10.1126/science.adi5984] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Auston Chhor
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | | | - Peter S Ross
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Victoria, BC, Canada
| | - David C Scott
- Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Victoria, BC, Canada
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23
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Robinson JA. Inbreeding threatens iconic killer whales. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:647-648. [PMID: 36941342 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02024-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline A Robinson
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
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