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vonHoldt BM, Stahler DR, Brzeski KE, Musiani M, Peterson R, Phillips M, Stephenson J, Laudon K, Meredith E, Vucetich JA, Leonard JA, Wayne RK. Demographic history shapes North American gray wolf genomic diversity and informs species' conservation. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17231. [PMID: 38054561 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17231] [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: 06/05/2023] [Revised: 11/19/2023] [Accepted: 11/21/2023] [Indexed: 12/07/2023]
Abstract
Effective population size estimates are critical information needed for evolutionary predictions and conservation decisions. This is particularly true for species with social factors that restrict access to breeding or experience repeated fluctuations in population size across generations. We investigated the genomic estimates of effective population size along with diversity, subdivision, and inbreeding from 162,109 minimally filtered and 81,595 statistically neutral and unlinked SNPs genotyped in 437 grey wolf samples from North America collected between 1986 and 2021. We found genetic structure across North America, represented by three distinct demographic histories of western, central, and eastern regions of the continent. Further, grey wolves in the northern Rocky Mountains have lower genomic diversity than wolves of the western Great Lakes and have declined over time. Effective population size estimates revealed the historical signatures of continental efforts of predator extermination, despite a quarter century of recovery efforts. We are the first to provide molecular estimates of effective population size across distinct grey wolf populations in North America, which ranged between Ne ~ 275 and 3050 since early 1980s. We provide data that inform managers regarding the status and importance of effective population size estimates for grey wolf conservation, which are on average 5.2-9.3% of census estimates for this species. We show that while grey wolves fall above minimum effective population sizes needed to avoid extinction due to inbreeding depression in the short term, they are below sizes predicted to be necessary to avoid long-term risk of extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridgett M vonHoldt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Daniel R Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA
| | - Kristin E Brzeski
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, USA
| | - Marco Musiani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali (BiGeA), Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Rolf Peterson
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, USA
| | | | | | - Kent Laudon
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Northern Region, Redding, California, USA
| | - Erin Meredith
- California Department of Fish and Wildlife, Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Sacramento, California, USA
| | - John A Vucetich
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, Michigan, USA
| | - Jennifer A Leonard
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Robert K Wayne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
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Žunna A, Ruņģis DE, Ozoliņš J, Stepanova A, Done G. Genetic Monitoring of Grey Wolves in Latvia Shows Adverse Reproductive and Social Consequences of Hunting. BIOLOGY 2023; 12:1255. [PMID: 37759654 PMCID: PMC10525079 DOI: 10.3390/biology12091255] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Revised: 09/17/2023] [Accepted: 09/17/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
Nowadays, genetic research methods play an important role in animal population studies. Since 2009, genetic material from Latvian wolf specimens obtained through hunting has been systematically gathered. This study, spanning until 2021, scrutinizes the consequences of regulated wolf hunting on population genetic metrics, kinship dynamics, and social organization. We employed 16 autosomal microsatellites to investigate relationships between full siblings and parent-offspring pairs. Our analysis encompassed expected and observed heterozygosity, inbreeding coefficients, allelic diversity, genetic distance and differentiation, mean pairwise relatedness, and the number of migrants per generation. The Latvian wolf population demonstrated robust genetic diversity with minimal inbreeding, maintaining stable allelic diversity and high heterozygosity over time and it is not fragmented. Our findings reveal the persistence of conventional wolf pack structures and enduring kinship groups. However, the study also underscores the adverse effects of intensified hunting pressure, leading to breeder loss, pack disruption, territorial displacement, and the premature dispersal of juvenile wolves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Agrita Žunna
- Latvian State Forest Research Institute Silava, Rīgas Str. 111, LV-2169 Salaspils, Latvia; (D.E.R.)
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Tensen L, Jansen van Vuuren B, Groom R, Bertola LD, de Iongh H, Rasmussen G, Du Plessis C, Davies-Mostert H, van der Merwe D, Fabiano E, Lages F, Rocha F, Monterroso P, Godinho R. Spatial genetic patterns in African wild dogs reveal signs of effective dispersal across southern Africa. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.992389] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Across much of Africa, decades of civil war, land reforms, and persecution by humans have decimated wildlife populations. African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) have declined dramatically during the past decades, but have shown recent natural recolonisation of some areas. In Angola, they were rediscovered after almost five decades when no surveys were being conducted, and they have recolonised areas in southern Zimbabwe and northern South Africa. Wild dogs were also reintroduced to Mozambique, where only few individuals remained. Against this backdrop, understanding genetic structure and effective dispersal between fragmented populations is essential to ensure the best conservation approaches for the long-term survival of the species. Our study investigated population genetic diversity, differentiation and gene flow of wild dogs across southern Africa, to include areas where they have recently been rediscovered, reestablished or reintroduced. Our results point to four weakly differentiated genetic clusters, representing the lowveld of Zimbabwe/Limpopo, Kruger NP, Angola/KAZA-TFCA, and the managed metapopulation, counterbalanced by moderate levels of effective dispersal on a southern African scale. Our results suggest that if the human footprint and impact can be significantly minimized, natural dispersal of wild dogs could lead to the demographic recovery of the species in southern Africa.
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Tensen L, Power J, Camacho G, Godinho R, Jansen van Vuuren B, Fischer K. Molecular tracking and prevalence of the red colour morph restricted to a harvested leopard population in South Africa. Evol Appl 2022; 15:1028-1041. [PMID: 35782007 PMCID: PMC9234631 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2022] [Revised: 05/05/2022] [Accepted: 05/12/2022] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The red leopard (Panthera pardus) colour morph is a colour variant that occurs only in South Africa, where it is confined to the Central Bushveld bioregion. Red leopards have been spreading over the past 40 years, which raises the speculation that the prevalence of this phenotype is related to low dispersal of young individuals owing to high off-take in the region. Intensive selective hunting tends to remove large resident male leopards from the breeding population, which gives young male leopards the chance to mate with resident female leopards that are more likely to be their relatives, eventually increasing the frequency of rare genetic variants. To investigate the genetic mechanisms underlying the red coat colour morph in leopards, and whether its prevalence in South Africa relates to an increase in genetic relatedness in the population, we sequenced exons of six coat colour-associated genes and 20 microsatellite loci in twenty Wild-type and four red leopards. The results were combined with demographic data available from our study sites. We found that red leopards own a haplotype in homozygosity identified by two SNPs and a 1 bp deletion that causes a frameshift in the tyrosinase-related protein 1 (TYRP1), a gene known to be involved in the biosynthesis of melanin. Microsatellite analyses indicate clear signs of a population bottleneck and a relatedness of 0.11 among all pairwise relationships, eventually supporting our hypothesis that a rare colour morph in the wild has increased its local frequency due to low natal dispersal, while subject to high human-induced mortality rate.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Tensen
- Institute for Integrated Natural Sciences, ZoologyUniversity of Koblenz‐LandauKoblenzGermany
- Department of Zoology, Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife ConservationUniversity of JohannesburgJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - John Power
- Directorate of Biodiversity Management, Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and TourismNorth West Provincial GovernmentMmabathoSouth Africa
| | - Gerrie Camacho
- Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks AgencyNelspruitSouth Africa
| | - Raquel Godinho
- Department of Zoology, Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife ConservationUniversity of JohannesburgJohannesburgSouth Africa
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório AssociadoCampus de Vairão, Universidade do PortoVairãoPortugal
- BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land PlanningCIBIO, Campus de VairãoVairãoPortugal
| | - Bettine Jansen van Vuuren
- Department of Zoology, Centre for Ecological Genomics and Wildlife ConservationUniversity of JohannesburgJohannesburgSouth Africa
| | - Klaus Fischer
- Institute for Integrated Natural Sciences, ZoologyUniversity of Koblenz‐LandauKoblenzGermany
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Ausband DE. Genetic diversity and mate selection in a reintroduced population of gray wolves. Sci Rep 2022; 12:535. [PMID: 35017596 PMCID: PMC8752858 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-04449-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The genetic composition of an individual can markedly affect its survival, reproduction, and ultimately fitness. As some wildlife populations become smaller, conserving genetic diversity will be a conservation challenge. Many imperiled species are already supported through population augmentation efforts and we often do not know if or how genetic diversity is maintained in translocated species. As a case study for understanding the maintenance of genetic diversity in augmented populations, I wanted to know if genetic diversity (i.e., observed heterozygosity) remained high in a population of gray wolves in the Rocky Mountains of the U.S. > 20 years after reintroduction. Additionally, I wanted to know if a potential mechanism for such diversity was individuals with below average genetic diversity choosing mates with above average diversity. I also asked whether there was a preference for mating with unrelated individuals. Finally, I hypothesized that mated pairs with above average heterozygosity would have increased survival of young. Ultimately, I found that females with below average heterozygosity did not choose mates with above average heterozygosity and wolves chose mates randomly with respect to genetic relatedness. Pup survival was not higher for mated pairs with above average heterozygosity in my models. The dominant variables predicting pup survival were harvest rate during their first year of life and years pairs were mated. Ultimately, genetic diversity was relatively unchanged > 20 years after reintroduction. The mechanism for maintaining such diversity does not appear related to individuals preferentially choosing more genetically diverse mates. Inbreeding avoidance, however, appears to be at least one mechanism maintaining genetic diversity in this population.
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Affiliation(s)
- David E Ausband
- U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Idaho, 875 Perimeter Drive, MS 1141, Moscow, ID, 83844, USA.
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Wikenros C, Gicquel M, Zimmermann B, Flagstad Ø, Åkesson M. Age at first reproduction in wolves: different patterns of density dependence for females and males. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210207. [PMID: 33823674 PMCID: PMC8059544 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Age at first reproduction constitutes a key life-history trait in animals and is evolutionarily shaped by fitness benefits and costs of delayed versus early reproduction. The understanding of how intrinsic and extrinsic changes affects age at first reproduction is crucial for conservation and management of threatened species because of its demographic effects on population growth and generation time. For a period of 40 years in the Scandinavian wolf (Canis lupus) population, including the recolonization phase, we estimated age at first successful reproduction (pup survival to at least three weeks of age) and examined how the variation among individuals was explained by sex, population size (from 1 to 74 packs), primiparous or multiparous origin, reproductive experience of the partner and inbreeding. Median age at first reproduction was 3 years for females (n = 60) and 2 years for males (n = 74), and ranged between 1 and 8-10 years of age (n = 297). Female age at first reproduction decreased with increasing population size, and increased with higher levels of inbreeding. The probability for males to reproduce later first decreased, reaching its minimum when the number of territories approached 40-60, and then increased with increasing population size. Inbreeding for males and reproductive experience of parents and partners for both sexes had overall weak effects on age at first reproduction. These results allow for more accurate parameter estimates when modelling population dynamics for management and conservation of small and vulnerable wolf populations, and show how humans through legal harvest and illegal hunting influence an important life-history trait like age at first reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Wikenros
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 73993 Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Morgane Gicquel
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 73993 Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Barbara Zimmermann
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480 Koppang, Norway
| | - Øystein Flagstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Torgard, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Mikael Åkesson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 73993 Riddarhyttan, Sweden
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Frank SC, Pelletier F, Kopatz A, Bourret A, Garant D, Swenson JE, Eiken HG, Hagen SB, Zedrosser A. Harvest is associated with the disruption of social and fine-scale genetic structure among matrilines of a solitary large carnivore. Evol Appl 2021; 14:1023-1035. [PMID: 33897818 PMCID: PMC8061280 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13178] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 11/13/2020] [Accepted: 11/16/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Harvest can disrupt wildlife populations by removing adults with naturally high survival. This can reshape sociospatial structure, genetic composition, fitness, and potentially affect evolution. Genetic tools can detect changes in local, fine-scale genetic structure (FGS) and assess the interplay between harvest-caused social and FGS in populations. We used data on 1614 brown bears, Ursus arctos, genotyped with 16 microsatellites, to investigate whether harvest intensity (mean low: 0.13 from 1990 to 2005, mean high: 0.28 from 2006 to 2011) caused changes in FGS among matrilines (8 matrilines; 109 females ≥4 years of age), sex-specific survival and putative dispersal distances, female spatial genetic autocorrelation, matriline persistence, and male mating patterns. Increased harvest decreased FGS of matrilines. Female dispersal distances decreased, and male reproductive success was redistributed more evenly. Adult males had lower survival during high harvest, suggesting that higher male turnover caused this redistribution and helped explain decreased structure among matrilines, despite shorter female dispersal distances. Adult female survival and survival probability of both mother and daughter were lower during high harvest, indicating that matriline persistence was also lower. Our findings indicate a crucial role of regulated harvest in shaping populations, decreasing differences among "groups," even for solitary-living species, and potentially altering the evolutionary trajectory of wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shane C. Frank
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental HealthUniversity of South‐Eastern NorwayTelemarkNorway
| | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de BiologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
| | | | - Audrey Bourret
- Département de BiologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
| | - Dany Garant
- Département de BiologieUniversité de SherbrookeSherbrookeQCCanada
| | - Jon E. Swenson
- Faculty of Environmental Sciences and Natural Resource ManagementNorwegian University of Life SciencesÅsNorway
| | | | | | - Andreas Zedrosser
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental HealthUniversity of South‐Eastern NorwayTelemarkNorway
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game ManagementUniversity of Natural Resources and Applied Life SciencesViennaAustria
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