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Huang JP, Wu SP, Chen WY, Pham GJ, Kuan YH. Genomic data revealed inbreeding despite a geographically connected stable effective population size since the Holocene in the protected Formosan Long-Arm Scarab beetle, Cheirotonus formosanus. J Hered 2024; 115:292-301. [PMID: 38364316 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esae006] [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: 11/18/2023] [Accepted: 02/08/2024] [Indexed: 02/18/2024] Open
Abstract
Biodiversity conservation is a top priority in the face of global environmental change, and the practical restoration of biodiversity has emerged as a key objective. Nevertheless, the question of how to effectively contribute to biodiversity restoration and identify suitable systems for such efforts continues to present major challenges. By using genome-wide SNP data, our study revealed that populations from different mountain ranges of the Formosan Long-Arm Scarab beetle, a flagship species that receives strict protection, exhibited a single genetic cluster with no subdivision. Additionally, our result implied an association between the demographic history and historical fluctuations in climate and environmental conditions. Furthermore, we showed that, despite a stable and moderately sized effective population over recent history, all the individuals we studied exhibited signs of genetic inbreeding. We argued that the current practice of protecting the species as one evolutionarily significant unit remains the best conservation plan and that recent habitat change may have led to the pattern of significant inbreeding. We closed by emphasizing the importance of conservation genetic studies in guiding policy decisions and highlighting the potential of genomic data for identifying ideal empirical systems for genetic rescue, or assisted gene flow studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jen-Pan Huang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Shu-Ping Wu
- Department of Earth and Life Science, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Wei-Yun Chen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Guan Jie Pham
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Department of Biomedical Science and Environmental Biology, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Hsiu Kuan
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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Le MH, Morgan B, Lu MY, Moctezuma V, Burgos O, Huang JP. The genomes of Hercules beetles reveal putative adaptive loci and distinct demographic histories in pristine North American forests. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13908. [PMID: 38063363 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13908] [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: 09/24/2022] [Revised: 01/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 01/12/2024]
Abstract
Beetles, despite their remarkable biodiversity and a long history of research, remain lacking in reference genomes annotated with structural variations in loci of adaptive significance. We sequenced and assembled high-quality chromosome-level genomes of four Hercules beetles which exhibit divergence in male horn size and shape and body colouration. The four Hercules beetle genomes were assembled to 11 pseudo-chromosomes, where the three genomes assembled using Nanopore data (Dynastes grantii, D. hyllus and D. tityus) were mapped to the genome assembled using PacBio + Hi-C data (D. maya). We demonstrated a striking similarity in genome structure among the four species. This conservative genome structure may be attributed to our use of the D. maya assembly as the reference; however, it is worth noting that such a conservative genome structure is a recurring phenomenon among scarab beetles. We further identified homologues of nine and three candidate-gene families that may be associated with the evolution of horn structure and body colouration respectively. Structural variations in Scr and Ebony2 were detected and discussed for their putative impacts on generating morphological diversity in beetles. We also reconstructed the demographic histories of the four Hercules beetles using heterozygosity information from the diploid genomes. We found that the demographic histories of the beetles closely recapitulated historical changes in suitable forest habitats driven by climate shifts.
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Affiliation(s)
- My-Hanh Le
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Brett Morgan
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
- Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, USA
| | - Mei-Yeh Lu
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Victor Moctezuma
- Centro Tlaxcala de Biología de la Conducta, Universidad Autónoma de Tlaxcala, Tlaxcala de Xicohténcatl, Tlaxcala, Mexico
| | - Oscar Burgos
- Centro de Investigaciones Biológicas, Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Morelos, Cuernavaca, Mexico
| | - Jen-Pan Huang
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
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Yang C, Zhu EJ, He QJ, Yi CH, Wang XB, Hu SJ, Wei SJ. Strong genetic differentiation among populations of Cheirotonus gestroi (Coleoptera: Euchiridae) in its native area sheds lights on species conservation. Mitochondrial DNA A DNA Mapp Seq Anal 2020; 31:108-119. [PMID: 32202195 DOI: 10.1080/24701394.2020.1741565] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Abstract
The long-armed scarab (Cheirotonus gestroi) is an endangered large insect in southwestern China and neighboring countries; however, limited information is available regarding its population genetics, hindering conservation efforts. Therefore, we investigated the population genetic structure and evolutionary history of C. gestroi in southwestern China. Twenty-five haplotypes were obtained from 47 specimens across five populations. The Dawei Mountain (DWS) population differed from other populations by a high genetic distance. Population structure analysis generated three distinct clades, corresponding to Hengduan Mountains (HM), Ailao Mountains (AM), and Dawei Mountains (DM), and high-level genetic diversity was found in two HM populations. Collectively, the strong genetic differentiation among populations might be due to limited gene flow, geographical isolation, and habitat fragmentation. Therefore, while developing a conservation strategy, HM, AM, and DM groups should be defined as separate management units. Additionally, the DWS population should be given priority protection due to its uniqueness and low genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chen Yang
- Key Lab Forest Disaster Warning and Control Yunnan, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China.,Yunnan Academy of Biodiversity, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
| | - En-Jiao Zhu
- Key Lab Forest Disaster Warning and Control Yunnan, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China.,Yunnan Academy of Biodiversity, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
| | - Qiu-Ju He
- Key Lab Forest Disaster Warning and Control Yunnan, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
| | - Chuan-Hui Yi
- Key Lab Forest Disaster Warning and Control Yunnan, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China.,Yunnan Academy of Biodiversity, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
| | - Xu-Bo Wang
- Yunnan Academy of Biodiversity, Southwest Forestry University, Kunming, China
| | - Shao-Ji Hu
- Yunnan Key Laboratory of International Rivers and Transboundary Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, China.,Institute of International Rivers and Eco-security, Yunnan University, Kunming, China
| | - Shu-Jun Wei
- Institute of Plant and Environmental Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing, China
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