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Hempel E, Faith JT, Preick M, de Jager D, Barish S, Hartmann S, Grau JH, Moodley Y, Gedman G, Pirovich KM, Bibi F, Kalthoff DC, Bocklandt S, Lamm B, Dalén L, Westbury MV, Hofreiter M. Colonial-driven extinction of the blue antelope despite genomic adaptation to low population size. Curr Biol 2024; 34:2020-2029.e6. [PMID: 38614080 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.03.051] [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: 12/20/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
Low genomic diversity is generally indicative of small population size and is considered detrimental by decreasing long-term adaptability.1,2,3,4,5,6 Moreover, small population size may promote gene flow with congeners and outbreeding depression.7,8,9,10,11,12,13 Here, we examine the connection between habitat availability, effective population size (Ne), and extinction by generating a 40× nuclear genome from the extinct blue antelope (Hippotragus leucophaeus). Historically endemic to the relatively small Cape Floristic Region in southernmost Africa,14,15 populations were thought to have expanded and contracted across glacial-interglacial cycles, tracking suitable habitat.16,17,18 However, we found long-term low Ne, unaffected by glacial cycles, suggesting persistence with low genomic diversity for many millennia prior to extinction in ∼AD 1800. A lack of inbreeding, alongside high levels of genetic purging, suggests adaptation to this long-term low Ne and that human impacts during the colonial era (e.g., hunting and landscape transformation), rather than longer-term ecological processes, were central to its extinction. Phylogenomic analyses uncovered gene flow between roan (H. equinus) and blue antelope, as well as between roan and sable antelope (H. niger), approximately at the time of divergence of blue and sable antelope (∼1.9 Ma). Finally, we identified the LYST and ASIP genes as candidates for the eponymous bluish pelt color of the blue antelope. Our results revise numerous aspects of our understanding of the interplay between genomic diversity and evolutionary history and provide the resources for uncovering the genetic basis of this extinct species' unique traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elisabeth Hempel
- Evolutionary Adaptive Genomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany; Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
| | - J Tyler Faith
- Natural History Museum of Utah, University of Utah, 301 Wakara Way, Salt Lake City, UT 84108, USA; Department of Anthropology, University of Utah, 260 South Central Campus Drive, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA; Origins Centre, University of the Witwatersrand, 2000 Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa
| | - Michaela Preick
- Evolutionary Adaptive Genomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Deon de Jager
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Stefanie Hartmann
- Evolutionary Adaptive Genomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - José H Grau
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC 20008, USA; Amedes Genetics, Amedes Medizinische Dienstleistungen GmbH, 10117 Berlin, Germany
| | - Yoshan Moodley
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, Republic of South Africa
| | | | | | - Faysal Bibi
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Invalidenstraße 43, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniela C Kalthoff
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Zoology, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Ben Lamm
- Colossal Biosciences, Dallas, TX 75247, USA
| | - Love Dalén
- Swedish Museum of Natural History, Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden; Centre for Palaeogenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20c, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden; Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, 10691 Stockholm, Sweden.
| | - Michael V Westbury
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Øster Voldgade 5-7, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark.
| | - Michael Hofreiter
- Evolutionary Adaptive Genomics, Institute of Biochemistry and Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Potsdam, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
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2
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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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3
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Kyriazis CC, Serieys LE, Bishop JM, Drouilly M, Viljoen S, Wayne RK, Lohmueller KE. The influence of gene flow on population viability in an isolated urban caracal population. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17346. [PMID: 38581173 PMCID: PMC11035096 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17346] [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: 07/20/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 04/08/2024]
Abstract
Wildlife populations are becoming increasingly fragmented by anthropogenic development. Small and isolated populations often face an elevated risk of extinction, in part due to inbreeding depression. Here, we examine the genomic consequences of urbanization in a caracal (Caracal caracal) population that has become isolated in the Cape Peninsula region of the City of Cape Town, South Africa, and is thought to number ~50 individuals. We document low levels of migration into the population over the past ~75 years, with an estimated rate of 1.3 effective migrants per generation. As a consequence of this isolation and small population size, levels of inbreeding are elevated in the contemporary Cape Peninsula population (mean FROH = 0.20). Inbreeding primarily manifests as long runs of homozygosity >10 Mb, consistent with the effects of isolation due to the rapid recent growth of Cape Town. To explore how reduced migration and elevated inbreeding may impact future population dynamics, we parameterized an eco-evolutionary simulation model. We find that if migration rates do not change in the future, the population is expected to decline, though with a low projected risk of extinction. However, if migration rates decline or anthropogenic mortality rates increase, the potential risk of extinction is greatly elevated. To avert a population decline, we suggest that translocating migrants into the Cape Peninsula to initiate a genetic rescue may be warranted in the near future. Our analysis highlights the utility of genomic datasets coupled with computational simulation models for investigating the influence of gene flow on population viability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C. Kyriazis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Laurel E.K. Serieys
- Panthera, 8 W 40th St, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Jacqueline M. Bishop
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Marine Drouilly
- Panthera, 8 W 40th St, 18th Floor, New York, NY 10018, USA
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
- Centre for Social Science Research, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Storme Viljoen
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Robert K. Wayne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Kirk E. Lohmueller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Interdepartmental Program in Bioinformatics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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4
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Wooldridge B, Orland C, Enbody E, Escalona M, Mirchandani C, Corbett-Detig R, Kapp JD, Fletcher N, Cox-Ammann K, Raimondi P, Shapiro B. Limited genomic signatures of population collapse in the critically endangered black abalone (Haliotis cracherodii). Mol Ecol 2024:e17362. [PMID: 38682494 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17362] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 04/05/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The black abalone, Haliotis cracherodii, is a large, long-lived marine mollusc that inhabits rocky intertidal habitats along the coast of California and Mexico. In 1985, populations were impacted by a bacterial disease known as withering syndrome (WS) that wiped out >90% of individuals, leading to the closure of all U.S. black abalone fisheries since 1993. Current conservation strategies include restoring diminished populations by translocating healthy individuals. However, population collapse on this scale may have dramatically lowered genetic diversity and strengthened geographic differentiation, making translocation-based recovery contentious. Additionally, the current prevalence of WS remains unknown. To address these uncertainties, we sequenced and analysed the genomes of 133 black abalone individuals from across their present range. We observed no spatial genetic structure among black abalone, with the exception of a single chromosomal inversion that increases in frequency with latitude. Outside the inversion, genetic differentiation between sites is minimal and does not scale with either geographic distance or environmental dissimilarity. Genetic diversity appears uniformly high across the range. Demographic inference does indicate a severe population bottleneck beginning just 15 generations in the past, but this decline is short lived, with present-day size far exceeding the pre-bottleneck status quo. Finally, we find the bacterial agent of WS is equally present across the sampled range, but only in 10% of individuals. The lack of population genetic structure, uniform diversity and prevalence of WS bacteria indicates that translocation could be a valid and low-risk means of population restoration for black abalone species' recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brock Wooldridge
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Chloé Orland
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Erik Enbody
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Merly Escalona
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Cade Mirchandani
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Russell Corbett-Detig
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Joshua D Kapp
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Nathaniel Fletcher
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Karah Cox-Ammann
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Peter Raimondi
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
| | - Beth Shapiro
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, California, USA
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5
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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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6
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Leon-Apodaca AV, Kumar M, Del Castillo A, Conroy GC, Lamont RW, Ogbourne S, Cairns KM, Borburgh L, Behrendorff L, Subramanian S, Szpiech ZA. Genomic consequences of isolation and inbreeding in an island dingo population. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2023.09.15.557950. [PMID: 37745583 PMCID: PMC10516007 DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.15.557950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/26/2023]
Abstract
Dingoes come from an ancient canid lineage that originated in East Asia around 8000-11,000 years BP. As Australia's largest terrestrial predator, dingoes play an important ecological role. A small, protected population exists on a world heritage listed offshore island, K'gari (formerly Fraser Island). Concern regarding the persistence of dingoes on K'gari has risen due to their low genetic diversity and elevated inbreeding levels. However, whole-genome sequencing data is lacking from this population. Here, we include five new whole-genome sequences of K'gari dingoes. We analyze a total of 18 whole genome sequences of dingoes sampled from mainland Australia and K'gari to assess the genomic consequences of their demographic histories. Long (>1 Mb) runs of homozygosity (ROH) - indicators of inbreeding - are elevated in all sampled dingoes. However, K'gari dingoes showed significantly higher levels of very long ROH (>5 Mb), providing genomic evidence for small population size, isolation, inbreeding, and a strong founder effect. Our results suggest that, despite current levels of inbreeding, the K'gari population is purging strongly deleterious mutations, which, in the absence of further reductions in population size, may facilitate the persistence of small populations despite low genetic diversity and isolation. However, there may be little to no purging of mildly deleterious alleles, which may have important long-term consequences, and should be considered by conservation and management programs. SIGNIFICANCE A long-standing question in conservation genetics is whether long-term isolation and elevated levels of inbreeding always leads to inevitable population extinction. Here we conduct the first-ever whole-genome analysis of a population of dingoes living in long-term isolation on an island off the coast of Australia (K'gari). We show that these animals are beset by very low genetic diversity, likely the result of extensive inbreeding, and an elevated number of deleterious homozygotes. However, our results suggest that these dingoes are likely purging highly deleterious alleles, which may have allowed them to persist long term despite their extremely small population (<200 individuals).
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7
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Charlesworth B. The fitness consequences of genetic divergence between polymorphic gene arrangements. Genetics 2024; 226:iyad218. [PMID: 38147527 PMCID: PMC11090464 DOI: 10.1093/genetics/iyad218] [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: 10/15/2023] [Revised: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 12/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Inversions restrict recombination when heterozygous with standard arrangements, but often have few noticeable phenotypic effects. Nevertheless, there are several examples of inversions that can be maintained polymorphic by strong selection under laboratory conditions. A long-standing model for the source of such selection is divergence between arrangements with respect to recessive or partially recessive deleterious mutations, resulting in a selective advantage to heterokaryotypic individuals over homokaryotypes. This paper uses a combination of analytical and numerical methods to investigate this model, for the simple case of an autosomal inversion with multiple independent nucleotide sites subject to mildly deleterious mutations. A complete lack of recombination in heterokaryotypes is assumed, as well as constancy of the frequency of the inversion over space and time. It is shown that a significantly higher mutational load will develop for the less frequent arrangement. A selective advantage to heterokaryotypes is only expected when the two alternative arrangements are nearly equal in frequency, so that their mutational loads are very similar in size. The effects of some Drosophila pseudoobscura polymorphic inversions on fitness traits seem to be too large to be explained by this process, although it may contribute to some of the observed effects. Several population genomic statistics can provide evidence for signatures of a reduced efficacy of selection associated with the rarer of two arrangements, but there is currently little published data that are relevant to the theoretical predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian Charlesworth
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
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8
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Bourgeois Y, Warren BH, Augiron S. The burden of anthropogenic changes and mutation load in a critically endangered harrier from the Reunion biodiversity hotspot, Circus maillardi. Mol Ecol 2024; 33:e17300. [PMID: 38372440 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17300] [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: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/30/2024] [Indexed: 02/20/2024]
Abstract
Anthropogenic impact is causing the decline of a large proportion of species worldwide and reduces their genetic diversity. Island species typically have smaller ranges than continental species. As a consequence, island species are particularly liable to undergo population bottlenecks, giving rise to conservation challenges such as inbreeding and unmasking of deleterious genetic load. Such challenges call for more detailed assessments of the genetic make-up of threatened island populations. The Mascarene islands (Indian Ocean) present many prime examples, being unusual in having been pristine until first human arrival ~400 years ago, following which anthropogenic pressure was unusually intense. A threatened harrier (Circus maillardi) endemic to the westernmost island of the archipelago is a good example of the challenges faced by species that have declined to small population size following intense anthropogenic pressure. In this study, we use an extensive set of population genomic tools to quantify variation at near-neutral and coding loci, in order to test the historical impact of human activity on this species, and evaluate the species' (mal)adaptive potential. We observed low but significant genetic differentiation between populations on the West and North-East sides of the island, echoing observations in other endemic species. Inbreeding was significant, with a substantial fraction of samples being first or second-degree relatives. Historical effective population sizes have declined from ~3000 to 300 individuals in the past 1000 years, with a more recent drop ~100 years ago consistent with human activity. Based on our simulations and comparisons with a close relative (Circus melanoleucos), this demographic history may have allowed purging of the most deleterious variants but is unlikely to have allowed the purging of mildly deleterious variants. Our study shows how using relatively affordable methods can reveal the massive impact that human activity may have on the genetic diversity and adaptive potential of island populations, and calls for urgent action to closely monitor the reproductive success of such endemic populations, in association with genetic studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yann Bourgeois
- DIADE, University of Montpellier, CIRAD, IRD, Montpellier, France
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Ben H Warren
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Sorbonne Université, EPHE, UA, Paris, France
| | - Steve Augiron
- Société d'Études Ornithologiques de La Réunion, Saint-André, France
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9
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Bukhman YV, Morin PA, Meyer S, Chu LF, Jacobsen JK, Antosiewicz-Bourget J, Mamott D, Gonzales M, Argus C, Bolin J, Berres ME, Fedrigo O, Steill J, Swanson SA, Jiang P, Rhie A, Formenti G, Phillippy AM, Harris RS, Wood JMD, Howe K, Kirilenko BM, Munegowda C, Hiller M, Jain A, Kihara D, Johnston JS, Ionkov A, Raja K, Toh H, Lang A, Wolf M, Jarvis ED, Thomson JA, Chaisson MJP, Stewart R. A High-Quality Blue Whale Genome, Segmental Duplications, and Historical Demography. Mol Biol Evol 2024; 41:msae036. [PMID: 38376487 PMCID: PMC10919930 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msae036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2023] [Revised: 01/11/2024] [Accepted: 01/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/21/2024] Open
Abstract
The blue whale, Balaenoptera musculus, is the largest animal known to have ever existed, making it an important case study in longevity and resistance to cancer. To further this and other blue whale-related research, we report a reference-quality, long-read-based genome assembly of this fascinating species. We assembled the genome from PacBio long reads and utilized Illumina/10×, optical maps, and Hi-C data for scaffolding, polishing, and manual curation. We also provided long read RNA-seq data to facilitate the annotation of the assembly by NCBI and Ensembl. Additionally, we annotated both haplotypes using TOGA and measured the genome size by flow cytometry. We then compared the blue whale genome with other cetaceans and artiodactyls, including vaquita (Phocoena sinus), the world's smallest cetacean, to investigate blue whale's unique biological traits. We found a dramatic amplification of several genes in the blue whale genome resulting from a recent burst in segmental duplications, though the possible connection between this amplification and giant body size requires further study. We also discovered sites in the insulin-like growth factor-1 gene correlated with body size in cetaceans. Finally, using our assembly to examine the heterozygosity and historical demography of Pacific and Atlantic blue whale populations, we found that the genomes of both populations are highly heterozygous and that their genetic isolation dates to the last interglacial period. Taken together, these results indicate how a high-quality, annotated blue whale genome will serve as an important resource for biology, evolution, and conservation research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yury V Bukhman
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Phillip A Morin
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Susanne Meyer
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Li-Fang Chu
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Department of Comparative Biology and Experimental Medicine, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | | | | | - Daniel Mamott
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Maylie Gonzales
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Cara Argus
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Jennifer Bolin
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Mark E Berres
- University of Wisconsin Biotechnology Center, Bioinformatics Resource Center, University of Wisconsin - Madison, Madison, WI 53706, USA
| | - Olivier Fedrigo
- Vertebrate Genome Lab, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - John Steill
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Scott A Swanson
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Peng Jiang
- Center for Gene Regulation in Health and Disease (GRHD), Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Department of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH, USA
- Center for RNA Science and Therapeutics, School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Arang Rhie
- Genome Informatics Section, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Giulio Formenti
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University/HHMI, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Adam M Phillippy
- Genome Informatics Section, National Human Genome Research Institute, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Robert S Harris
- Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | | | - Kerstin Howe
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Cambridge CB10 1SA, UK
| | - Bogdan M Kirilenko
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Senckenberg Research Institute, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Chetan Munegowda
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Senckenberg Research Institute, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Michael Hiller
- LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Senckenberg Research Institute, 60325 Frankfurt, Germany
- Institute of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Faculty of Biosciences, Goethe University Frankfurt, 60438 Frankfurt, Germany
| | - Aashish Jain
- Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - Daisuke Kihara
- Department of Computer Science, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA
| | - J Spencer Johnston
- Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Alexander Ionkov
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Kalpana Raja
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
| | - Huishi Toh
- Neuroscience Research Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA, USA
| | - Aimee Lang
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - Magnus Wolf
- Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity (IEB), University of Muenster, 48149, Muenster, Germany
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre (BiK-F), Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Erich D Jarvis
- Vertebrate Genome Lab, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
- Laboratory of Neurogenetics of Language, The Rockefeller University/HHMI, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - James A Thomson
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
- Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
- Department of Cell and Regenerative Biology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI 53726, USA
| | - Mark J P Chaisson
- Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
| | - Ron Stewart
- Regenerative Biology, Morgridge Institute for Research, Madison, WI 53715, USA
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10
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Wooldridge B, Orland C, Enbody E, Escalona M, Mirchandani C, Corbett-Detig R, Kapp JD, Fletcher N, Ammann K, Raimondi P, Shapiro B. Limited genomic signatures of population collapse in the critically endangered black abalone ( Haliotis cracherodii). BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.01.26.577275. [PMID: 38352393 PMCID: PMC10862700 DOI: 10.1101/2024.01.26.577275] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/19/2024]
Abstract
The black abalone, Haliotis cracherodii, is a large, long-lived marine mollusc that inhabits rocky intertidal habitats along the coast of California and Mexico. In 1985, populations were impacted by a bacterial disease known as withering syndrome (WS) that wiped out >90% of individuals, leading to the species' designation as critically endangered. Current conservation strategies include restoring diminished populations by translocating healthy individuals. However, population collapse on this scale may have dramatically lowered genetic diversity and strengthened geographic differentiation, making translocation-based recovery contentious. Additionally, the current prevalence of WS is unknown. To address these uncertainties, we sequenced and analyzed the genomes of 133 black abalone individuals from across their present range. We observed no spatial genetic structure among black abalone, with the exception of a single chromosomal inversion that increases in frequency with latitude. Genetic divergence between sites is minimal, and does not scale with either geographic distance or environmental dissimilarity. Genetic diversity appears uniformly high across the range. Despite this, however, demographic inference confirms a severe population bottleneck beginning around the time of WS onset, highlighting the temporal offset that may occur between a population collapse and its potential impact on genetic diversity. Finally, we find the bacterial agent of WS is equally present across the sampled range, but only in 10% of individuals. The lack of genetic structure, uniform diversity, and prevalence of WS bacteria indicates that translocation could be a valid and low-risk means of population restoration for black abalone species' recovery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brock Wooldridge
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
| | - Chloé Orland
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
| | - Erik Enbody
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
| | - Merly Escalona
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
| | - Cade Mirchandani
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
| | - Russell Corbett-Detig
- Department of Biomolecular Engineering, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
| | - Joshua D Kapp
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
| | - Nathaniel Fletcher
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
| | - Karah Ammann
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
| | - Peter Raimondi
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
| | - Beth Shapiro
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064, USA
- Genomics Institute, University of California Santa Cruz, Santa Cruz, CA, 95064 USA
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11
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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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12
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Li S, Yeh C, Jang‐Liaw N, Chang S, Lin Y, Tsai C, Chiu C, Chen C, Ke H, Wang Q, Lu Y, Zheng K, Fan P, Zhang L, Liu Y. Low but highly geographically structured genomic diversity of East Asian Eurasian otters and its conservation implications. Evol Appl 2024; 17:e13630. [PMID: 38288030 PMCID: PMC10824276 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13630] [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: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 01/31/2024] Open
Abstract
Populations of Eurasian otters Lutra lutra, one of the most widely distributed apex predators in Eurasia, have been depleted mainly since the 1950s. However, a lack of information about their genomic diversity and how they are organized geographically in East Asia severely impedes our ability to monitor and conserve them in particular management units. Here, we re-sequenced and analyzed 20 otter genomes spanning continental East Asia, including a population at Kinmen, a small island off the Fujian coast, China. The otters form three genetic clusters (one of L. l. lutra in the north and two of L. l. chinensis in the south), which have diverged in the Holocene. These three clusters should be recognized as three conservation management units to monitor and manage independently. The heterozygosity of the East Asian otters is as low as that of the threatened carnivores sequenced. Historical effective population size trajectories inferred from genomic variations suggest that their low genomic diversity could be partially attributed to changes in the climate since the mid-Pleistocene and anthropogenic intervention since the Holocene. However, no evidence of genetic erosion, mutation load, or high level of inbreeding was detected in the presumably isolated Kinmen Island population. Any future in situ conservation efforts should consider this information for the conservation management units.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shou‐Hsien Li
- School of Life ScienceNational Taiwan Normal UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Chia‐fen Yeh
- School of Life ScienceNational Taiwan Normal UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | | | - Shih‐Wei Chang
- Division of ZoologyEndemic Species Research InstituteNantouTaiwan
| | - Yu‐Hsiu Lin
- Division of ZoologyEndemic Species Research InstituteNantouTaiwan
| | - Cheng‐En Tsai
- School of Life ScienceNational Taiwan Normal UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | - Chi‐Cheng Chiu
- School of Life ScienceNational Taiwan Normal UniversityTaipeiTaiwan
| | | | - Hui‐Ru Ke
- Genomics BioSci & Tech Co., Ltd.New Taipei CityTaiwan
| | - Qiaoyun Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology/School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yiwei Lu
- Zhejiang Museum of Natural HistoryZhejiang Biodiversity Research CenterHangzhouChina
| | - Kaidan Zheng
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology/School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Pengfei Fan
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology/School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Lu Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology/School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
| | - Yang Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Ecology/School of Life SciencesSun Yat‐Sen UniversityGuangzhouChina
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13
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Marino A, Reboud EL, Chevalier E, Tilak MK, Contreras-Garduño J, Nabholz B, Condamine FL. Genomics of the relict species Baronia brevicornis sheds light on its demographic history and genome size evolution across swallowtail butterflies. G3 (BETHESDA, MD.) 2023; 13:jkad239. [PMID: 37847748 PMCID: PMC10700114 DOI: 10.1093/g3journal/jkad239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023]
Abstract
Relict species, like coelacanth, gingko, tuatara, are the remnants of formerly more ecologically and taxonomically diverse lineages. It raises the questions of why they are currently species-poor, have restrained ecology, and are often vulnerable to extinction. Estimating heterozygosity level and demographic history can guide our understanding of the evolutionary history and conservation status of relict species. However, few studies have focused on relict invertebrates compared to vertebrates. We sequenced the genome of Baronia brevicornis (Lepidoptera: Papilionidae), which is an endangered species, the sister species of all swallowtail butterflies, and is the oldest lineage of all extant butterflies. From a dried specimen, we were able to generate both long-read and short-read data and assembled a genome of 406 Mb for Baronia. We found a fairly high level of heterozygosity (0.58%) compared to other swallowtail butterflies, which contrasts with its endangered and relict status. Taking into account the high ratio of recombination over mutation, demographic analyses indicated a sharp decline of the effective population size initiated in the last million years. Moreover, the Baronia genome was used to study genome size variation in Papilionidae. Genome sizes are mostly explained by transposable elements activities, suggesting that large genomes appear to be a derived feature in swallowtail butterflies as transposable elements activity is recent and involves different transposable elements classes among species. This first Baronia genome provides a resource for assisting conservation in a flagship and relict insect species as well as for understanding swallowtail genome evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alba Marino
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS | IRD | EPHE), Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Eliette L Reboud
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS | IRD | EPHE), Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Emmanuelle Chevalier
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS | IRD | EPHE), Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Marie-Ka Tilak
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS | IRD | EPHE), Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Jorge Contreras-Garduño
- Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Escuela Nacional de Estudios Superiores, campus Morelia, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro #8701, Col. Ex-Hacienda San José de la Huerta, 58190 Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
| | - Benoit Nabholz
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS | IRD | EPHE), Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
| | - Fabien L Condamine
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier (Université de Montpellier | CNRS | IRD | EPHE), Place Eugène Bataillon, 34095 Montpellier, France
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14
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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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15
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Kyriazis CC, Robinson JA, Lohmueller KE. Using Computational Simulations to Model Deleterious Variation and Genetic Load in Natural Populations. Am Nat 2023; 202:737-752. [PMID: 38033186 PMCID: PMC10897732 DOI: 10.1086/726736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/02/2023]
Abstract
AbstractDeleterious genetic variation is abundant in wild populations, and understanding the ecological and conservation implications of such variation is an area of active research. Genomic methods are increasingly used to quantify the impacts of deleterious variation in natural populations; however, these approaches remain limited by an inability to accurately predict the selective and dominance effects of mutations. Computational simulations of deleterious variation offer a complementary tool that can help overcome these limitations, although such approaches have yet to be widely employed. In this perspective article, we aim to encourage ecological and conservation genomics researchers to adopt greater use of computational simulations to aid in deepening our understanding of deleterious variation in natural populations. We first provide an overview of the components of a simulation of deleterious variation, describing the key parameters involved in such models. Next, we discuss several approaches for validating simulation models. Finally, we compare and validate several recently proposed deleterious mutation models, demonstrating that models based on estimates of selection parameters from experimental systems are biased toward highly deleterious mutations. We describe a new model that is supported by multiple orthogonal lines of evidence and provide example scripts for implementing this model (https://github.com/ckyriazis/simulations_review).
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16
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Femerling G, van Oosterhout C, Feng S, Bristol RM, Zhang G, Groombridge J, P Gilbert MT, Morales HE. Genetic Load and Adaptive Potential of a Recovered Avian Species that Narrowly Avoided Extinction. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad256. [PMID: 37995319 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Revised: 10/26/2023] [Accepted: 11/16/2023] [Indexed: 11/25/2023] Open
Abstract
High genetic diversity is a good predictor of long-term population viability, yet some species persevere despite having low genetic diversity. Here we study the genomic erosion of the Seychelles paradise flycatcher (Terpsiphone corvina), a species that narrowly avoided extinction after having declined to 28 individuals in the 1960s. The species recovered unassisted to over 250 individuals in the 1990s and was downlisted from Critically Endangered to Vulnerable in the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Red List in 2020. By comparing historical, prebottleneck (130+ years old) and modern genomes, we uncovered a 10-fold loss of genetic diversity. Highly deleterious mutations were partly purged during the bottleneck, but mildly deleterious mutations accumulated. The genome shows signs of historical inbreeding during the bottleneck in the 1960s, but low levels of recent inbreeding after demographic recovery. Computer simulations suggest that the species long-term small Ne reduced the masked genetic load and made the species more resilient to inbreeding and extinction. However, the reduction in genetic diversity due to the chronically small Ne and the severe bottleneck is likely to have reduced the species adaptive potential to face environmental change, which together with a higher load, compromises its long-term population viability. Thus, small ancestral Ne offers short-term bottleneck resilience but hampers long-term adaptability to environmental shifts. In light of rapid global rates of population decline, our work shows that species can continue to suffer the effect of their decline even after recovery, highlighting the importance of considering genomic erosion and computer modeling in conservation assessments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Georgette Femerling
- Section for Hologenomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, Cuernavaca, México
- Department of Human Genetics, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | | | - Shaohong Feng
- Center for Evolutionary & Organismal Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiashan, China
| | - Rachel M Bristol
- Mahe, Seychelles
- Division of Human and Social Sciences, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, UK
| | - Guojie Zhang
- Center for Evolutionary & Organismal Biology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China
- Liangzhu Laboratory, Zhejiang University Medical Center, Hangzhou, China
- Innovation Center of Yangtze River Delta, Zhejiang University, Jiashan, China
| | - Jim Groombridge
- Division of Human and Social Sciences, Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, CT2 7NR, UK
| | - M Thomas P Gilbert
- Section for Hologenomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
- University Museum, NTNU, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Hernán E Morales
- Section for Hologenomics, Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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17
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Dussex N, Tørresen OK, van der Valk T, Le Moullec M, Veiberg V, Tooming-Klunderud A, Skage M, Garmann-Aarhus B, Wood J, Rasmussen JA, Pedersen ÅØ, Martin SL, Røed KH, Jakobsen KS, Dalén L, Hansen BB, Martin MD. Adaptation to the High-Arctic island environment despite long-term reduced genetic variation in Svalbard reindeer. iScience 2023; 26:107811. [PMID: 37744038 PMCID: PMC10514459 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Revised: 07/24/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Typically much smaller in number than their mainland counterparts, island populations are ideal systems to investigate genetic threats to small populations. The Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus) is an endemic subspecies that colonized the Svalbard archipelago ca. 6,000-8,000 years ago and now shows numerous physiological and morphological adaptations to its arctic habitat. Here, we report a de-novo chromosome-level assembly for Svalbard reindeer and analyze 133 reindeer genomes spanning Svalbard and most of the species' Holarctic range, to examine the genomic consequences of long-term isolation and small population size in this insular subspecies. Empirical data, demographic reconstructions, and forward simulations show that long-term isolation and high inbreeding levels may have facilitated the reduction of highly deleterious-and to a lesser extent, moderately deleterious-variation. Our study indicates that long-term reduced genetic diversity did not preclude local adaptation to the High Arctic, suggesting that even severely bottlenecked populations can retain evolutionary potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Dussex
- Department of Natural History, University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Erling Skakkes gate 47A, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ole K. Tørresen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Tom van der Valk
- Centre for PalaeoGenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Mathilde Le Moullec
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Vebjørn Veiberg
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), NO 7034 Trondheim, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Ave Tooming-Klunderud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Morten Skage
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Benedicte Garmann-Aarhus
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
- Natural History Museum, University of Oslo, NO 0318 Oslo, Norway
| | - Jonathan Wood
- Tree of Life, Wellcome Sanger Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SA Cambridge, UK
| | - Jacob A. Rasmussen
- Department of Natural History, University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Erling Skakkes gate 47A, Trondheim, Norway
- Globe Institute, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | | | - Sarah L.F. Martin
- Department of Natural History, University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Erling Skakkes gate 47A, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Knut H. Røed
- Department of Preclinical Sciences and Pathology, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, P.O. Box 5003, 1432 Ås, Norway
| | - Kjetill S. Jakobsen
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Love Dalén
- Centre for PalaeoGenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, SE 106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE 104 05 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Brage B. Hansen
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO 7491 Trondheim, Norway
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), NO 7034 Trondheim, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Michael D. Martin
- Department of Natural History, University Museum, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Erling Skakkes gate 47A, Trondheim, Norway
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Department of Biology, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), NO 7491 Trondheim, Norway
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18
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Dussex N, Kurland S, Olsen RA, Spong G, Ericsson G, Ekblom R, Ryman N, Dalén L, Laikre L. Range-wide and temporal genomic analyses reveal the consequences of near-extinction in Swedish moose. Commun Biol 2023; 6:1035. [PMID: 37848497 PMCID: PMC10582009 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-05385-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/19/2023] Open
Abstract
Ungulate species have experienced severe declines over the past centuries through overharvesting and habitat loss. Even if many game species have recovered thanks to strict hunting regulation, the genome-wide impacts of overharvesting are still unclear. Here, we examine the temporal and geographical differences in genome-wide diversity in moose (Alces alces) over its whole range in Sweden by sequencing 87 modern and historical genomes. We found limited impact of the 1900s near-extinction event but local variation in inbreeding and load in modern populations, as well as suggestion of a risk of future reduction in genetic diversity and gene flow. Furthermore, we found candidate genes for local adaptation, and rapid temporal allele frequency shifts involving coding genes since the 1980s, possibly due to selective harvesting. Our results highlight that genomic changes potentially impacting fitness can occur over short time scales and underline the need to track both deleterious and selectively advantageous genomic variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Dussex
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Zoology, Division of Population Genetics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE-104 05, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology, University Museum, Trondheim, NO-7491, Norway.
| | - Sara Kurland
- Department of Zoology, Division of Population Genetics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Remi-André Olsen
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Stockholm University, SE-171 21, Solna, Sweden
| | - Göran Spong
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Göran Ericsson
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SE-901 83, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Robert Ekblom
- Wildlife Analysis Unit, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, SE-106 48, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nils Ryman
- Department of Zoology, Division of Population Genetics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Love Dalén
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Zoology, Division of Population Genetics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE-104 05, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Linda Laikre
- Department of Zoology, Division of Population Genetics, Stockholm University, SE-106 91, Stockholm, Sweden.
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19
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Beichman AC, Robinson J, Lin M, Moreno-Estrada A, Nigenda-Morales S, Harris K. Evolution of the Mutation Spectrum Across a Mammalian Phylogeny. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:msad213. [PMID: 37770035 PMCID: PMC10566577 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad213] [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: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Although evolutionary biologists have long theorized that variation in DNA repair efficacy might explain some of the diversity of lifespan and cancer incidence across species, we have little data on the variability of normal germline mutagenesis outside of humans. Here, we shed light on the spectrum and etiology of mutagenesis across mammals by quantifying mutational sequence context biases using polymorphism data from thirteen species of mice, apes, bears, wolves, and cetaceans. After normalizing the mutation spectrum for reference genome accessibility and k-mer content, we use the Mantel test to deduce that mutation spectrum divergence is highly correlated with genetic divergence between species, whereas life history traits like reproductive age are weaker predictors of mutation spectrum divergence. Potential bioinformatic confounders are only weakly related to a small set of mutation spectrum features. We find that clock-like mutational signatures previously inferred from human cancers cannot explain the phylogenetic signal exhibited by the mammalian mutation spectrum, despite the ability of these signatures to fit each species' 3-mer spectrum with high cosine similarity. In contrast, parental aging signatures inferred from human de novo mutation data appear to explain much of the 1-mer spectrum's phylogenetic signal in combination with a novel mutational signature. We posit that future models purporting to explain the etiology of mammalian mutagenesis need to capture the fact that more closely related species have more similar mutation spectra; a model that fits each marginal spectrum with high cosine similarity is not guaranteed to capture this hierarchy of mutation spectrum variation among species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Annabel C Beichman
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Jacqueline Robinson
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA
| | - Meixi Lin
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Andrés Moreno-Estrada
- National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity, Advanced Genomics Unit (UGA-LANGEBIO), CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Mexico
| | - Sergio Nigenda-Morales
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, San Marcos, San Marcos, CA, USA
| | - Kelley Harris
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
- Herbold Computational Biology Program, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Seattle, WA, USA
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20
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Dussex N, Morales HE, Grossen C, Dalén L, van Oosterhout C. Purging and accumulation of genetic load in conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:961-969. [PMID: 37344276 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2022] [Revised: 05/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 06/23/2023]
Abstract
Our ability to assess the threat posed by the genetic load to small and declining populations has been greatly improved by advances in genome sequencing and computational approaches. Yet, considerable confusion remains around the definitions of the genetic load and its dynamics, and how they impact individual fitness and population viability. We illustrate how both selective purging and drift affect the distribution of deleterious mutations during population size decline and recovery. We show how this impacts the composition of the genetic load, and how this affects the extinction risk and recovery potential of populations. We propose a framework to examine load dynamics and advocate for the introduction of load estimates in the management of endangered populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicolas Dussex
- Department of Natural History, NTNU University Museum, Erling Skakkes Gate 47A, 7012 Trondheim, Norway.
| | - Hernán E Morales
- Center for Evolutionary Hologenomics, Globe Institute, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Copenhagen, DK-2200 Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Christine Grossen
- WSL Swiss Federal Research Institute, CH-8903 Birmensdorf, Switzerland
| | - Love Dalén
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, Svante Arrhenius väg 20C, SE-106 91 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Cock van Oosterhout
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, NR4 7TJ Norwich, UK
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21
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Nigenda-Morales SF, Lin M, Nuñez-Valencia PG, Kyriazis CC, Beichman AC, Robinson JA, Ragsdale AP, Urbán R J, Archer FI, Viloria-Gómora L, Pérez-Álvarez MJ, Poulin E, Lohmueller KE, Moreno-Estrada A, Wayne RK. The genomic footprint of whaling and isolation in fin whale populations. Nat Commun 2023; 14:5465. [PMID: 37699896 PMCID: PMC10497599 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-40052-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2022] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 09/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Twentieth century industrial whaling pushed several species to the brink of extinction, with fin whales being the most impacted. However, a small, resident population in the Gulf of California was not targeted by whaling. Here, we analyzed 50 whole-genomes from the Eastern North Pacific (ENP) and Gulf of California (GOC) fin whale populations to investigate their demographic history and the genomic effects of natural and human-induced bottlenecks. We show that the two populations diverged ~16,000 years ago, after which the ENP population expanded and then suffered a 99% reduction in effective size during the whaling period. In contrast, the GOC population remained small and isolated, receiving less than one migrant per generation. However, this low level of migration has been crucial for maintaining its viability. Our study exposes the severity of whaling, emphasizes the importance of migration, and demonstrates the use of genome-based analyses and simulations to inform conservation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio F Nigenda-Morales
- Advanced Genomics Unit, National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio), Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, Mexico.
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University San Marcos, San Marcos, CA, 92096, USA.
| | - Meixi Lin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA.
| | - Paulina G Nuñez-Valencia
- Advanced Genomics Unit, National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio), Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, Mexico
- Centro de Ciencias Genómicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), Cuernavaca, Morelos, México
| | - Christopher C Kyriazis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Annabel C Beichman
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA
| | - Jacqueline A Robinson
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, 94143, USA
| | - Aaron P Ragsdale
- Advanced Genomics Unit, National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio), Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, Mexico
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, 53706, USA
| | - Jorge Urbán R
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur (UABCS), La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - Frederick I Archer
- Marine Mammal and Turtle Division, Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, 92037, USA
| | - Lorena Viloria-Gómora
- Departamento de Ciencias Marinas y Costeras, Universidad Autónoma de Baja California Sur (UABCS), La Paz, Baja California Sur, Mexico
| | - María José Pérez-Álvarez
- Escuela de Medicina Veterinaria, Facultad de Medicina y Ciencias de la Salud, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, Chile
- Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems (BASE), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Elie Poulin
- Millennium Institute Biodiversity of Antarctic and Subantarctic Ecosystems (BASE), Universidad de Chile, Santiago, Chile
| | - Kirk E Lohmueller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Interdepartmental Program in Bioinformatics, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Andrés Moreno-Estrada
- Advanced Genomics Unit, National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio), Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Irapuato, Guanajuato, 36824, Mexico.
| | - Robert K Wayne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
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22
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Crossman CA, Fontaine MC, Frasier TR. A comparison of genomic diversity and demographic history of the North Atlantic and Southwest Atlantic southern right whales. Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 37577945 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17099] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2023] [Revised: 07/25/2023] [Accepted: 07/31/2023] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Right whales (genus Eubalaena) were among the first, and most extensively pursued, targets of commercial whaling. However, understanding the impacts of this persecution requires knowledge of the demographic histories of these species prior to exploitation. We used deep whole genome sequencing (~40×) of 12 North Atlantic (E. glacialis) and 10 Southwest Atlantic southern (E. australis) right whales to quantify contemporary levels of genetic diversity and infer their demographic histories over time. Using coalescent- and identity-by-descent-based modelling to estimate ancestral effective population sizes from genomic data, we demonstrate that North Atlantic right whales have lived with smaller effective population sizes (Ne ) than southern right whales in the Southwest Atlantic since their divergence and describe the decline in both populations around the time of whaling. North Atlantic right whales exhibit reduced genetic diversity and longer runs of homozygosity leading to higher inbreeding coefficients compared to the sampled population of southern right whales. This study represents the first comprehensive assessment of genome-wide diversity of right whales in the western Atlantic and underscores the benefits of high coverage, genome-wide datasets to help resolve long-standing questions about how historical changes in effective population size over different time scales shape contemporary diversity estimates. This knowledge is crucial to improve our understanding of the right whales' history and inform our approaches to address contemporary conservation issues. Understanding and quantifying the cumulative impact of long-term small Ne , low levels of diversity and recent inbreeding on North Atlantic right whale recovery will be important next steps.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carla A Crossman
- Biology Department, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Michael C Fontaine
- Laboratoire MIVEGEC (Université de Montpellier, CNRS 5290, IRD 224), Montpellier, France
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Timothy R Frasier
- Biology Department, Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
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23
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Johnson JA, Athrey G, Anderson CM, Bell DA, Dixon A, Kumazawa Y, Maechtle T, Meeks GW, Mindell D, Nakajima K, Novak B, Talbot S, White C, Zhan X. Whole-genome survey reveals extensive variation in genetic diversity and inbreeding levels among peregrine falcon subspecies. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10347. [PMID: 37484928 PMCID: PMC10361364 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2023] [Revised: 07/04/2023] [Accepted: 07/10/2023] [Indexed: 07/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In efforts to prevent extinction, resource managers are often tasked with increasing genetic diversity in a population of concern to prevent inbreeding depression or improve adaptive potential in a changing environment. The assumption that all small populations require measures to increase their genetic diversity may be unwarranted, and limited resources for conservation may be better utilized elsewhere. We test this assumption in a case study focused on the peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus), a cosmopolitan circumpolar species with 19 named subspecies. We used whole-genome resequencing to generate over two million single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from multiple individuals of all peregrine falcon subspecies. Our analyses revealed extensive variation among subspecies, with many island-restricted and nonmigratory populations possessing lower overall genomic diversity, elevated inbreeding coefficients (F ROH)-among the highest reported, and extensive runs of homozygosity (ROH) compared to mainland and migratory populations. Similarly, the majority of subspecies that are either nonmigratory or restricted to islands show a much longer history of low effective population size (N e). While mutational load analyses indicated an increased proportion of homozygous-derived deleterious variants (i.e., drift load) among nonmigrant and island populations compared to those that are migrant or reside on the mainland, no significant differences in the proportion of heterozygous deleterious variants (i.e., inbreeding load) was observed. Our results provide evidence that high levels of inbreeding may not be an existential threat for some populations or taxa. Additional factors such as the timing and severity of population declines are important to consider in management decisions about extinction potential.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jeff A. Johnson
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of North TexasDentonTexasUSA
- Wolf Creek Operating FoundationWolfWyomingUSA
| | - Giridhar Athrey
- Department of Poultry Science & Faculty of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
| | | | - Douglas A. Bell
- East Bay Regional Park DistrictOaklandCaliforniaUSA
- California Academy of SciencesSan FranciscoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Andrew Dixon
- The Mohamed Bin Zayed Raptor Conservation FundAbu DhabiUnited Arab Emirates
- International Wildlife ConsultantsCarmarthenUK
| | - Yoshinori Kumazawa
- Research Center for Biological DiversityNagoya City UniversityNagoyaJapan
| | | | - Garrett W. Meeks
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of North TexasDentonTexasUSA
| | - David Mindell
- Museum of Vertebrate ZoologyUniversity of California, BerkeleyBerkeleyCaliforniaUSA
| | - Keiya Nakajima
- Research Center for Biological DiversityNagoya City UniversityNagoyaJapan
- The Japan Falconiformes CenterOwariasahiJapan
| | - Ben Novak
- Revive & RestoreSausalitoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Sandra Talbot
- Far Northwestern Institute of Art and ScienceAnchorageAlaskaUSA
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24
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Beichman AC, Robinson J, Lin M, Moreno-Estrada A, Nigenda-Morales S, Harris K. "Evolution of the mutation spectrum across a mammalian phylogeny". BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.05.31.543114. [PMID: 37398383 PMCID: PMC10312511 DOI: 10.1101/2023.05.31.543114] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about how the spectrum and etiology of germline mutagenesis might vary among mammalian species. To shed light on this mystery, we quantify variation in mutational sequence context biases using polymorphism data from thirteen species of mice, apes, bears, wolves, and cetaceans. After normalizing the mutation spectrum for reference genome accessibility and k -mer content, we use the Mantel test to deduce that mutation spectrum divergence is highly correlated with genetic divergence between species, whereas life history traits like reproductive age are weaker predictors of mutation spectrum divergence. Potential bioinformatic confounders are only weakly related to a small set of mutation spectrum features. We find that clocklike mutational signatures previously inferred from human cancers cannot explain the phylogenetic signal exhibited by the mammalian mutation spectrum, despite the ability of these clocklike signatures to fit each species' 3-mer spectrum with high cosine similarity. In contrast, parental aging signatures inferred from human de novo mutation data appear to explain much of the mutation spectrum's phylogenetic signal when fit to non-context-dependent mutation spectrum data in combination with a novel mutational signature. We posit that future models purporting to explain the etiology of mammalian mutagenesis need to capture the fact that more closely related species have more similar mutation spectra; a model that fits each marginal spectrum with high cosine similarity is not guaranteed to capture this hierarchy of mutation spectrum variation among species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacqueline Robinson
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA
| | - Meixi Lin
- Department of Plant Biology, Carnegie Institution for Science, Stanford, CA
| | - Andrés Moreno-Estrada
- National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity, Advanced Genomics Unit (UGA-LANGEBIO), CINVESTAV, Irapuato, Mexico
| | - Sergio Nigenda-Morales
- Department of Biological Sciences, California State University, San Marcos, San Marcos CA
| | - Kelley Harris
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle WA
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25
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Wang X, Peischl S, Heckel G. Demographic history and genomic consequences of 10,000 generations of isolation in a wild mammal. Curr Biol 2023; 33:2051-2062.e4. [PMID: 37178689 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2023.04.042] [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: 09/28/2022] [Revised: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Increased human activities caused the isolation of populations in many species-often associated with genetic depletion and negative fitness effects. The effects of isolation are predicted by theory, but long-term data from natural populations are scarce. We show, with full genome sequences, that common voles (Microtus arvalis) in the Orkney archipelago have remained genetically isolated from conspecifics in continental Europe since their introduction by humans over 5,000 years ago. Modern Orkney vole populations are genetically highly differentiated from continental conspecifics as a result of genetic drift processes. Colonization likely started on the biggest Orkney island and vole populations on smaller islands were gradually split off, without signs of secondary admixture. Despite having large modern population sizes, Orkney voles are genetically depauperate and successive introductions to smaller islands resulted in further reduction of genetic diversity. We detected high levels of fixation of predicted deleterious variation compared with continental populations, particularly on smaller islands, yet the fitness effects realized in nature are unknown. Simulations showed that predominantly mildly deleterious mutations were fixed in populations, while highly deleterious mutations were purged early in the history of the Orkney population. Relaxation of selection overall due to benign environmental conditions on the islands and the effects of soft selection may have contributed to the repeated, successful establishment of Orkney voles despite potential fitness loss. Furthermore, the specific life history of these small mammals, resulting in relatively large population sizes, has probably been important for their long-term persistence in full isolation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xuejing Wang
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland
| | - Stephan Peischl
- Interfaculty Bioinformatics Unit, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Amphipôle, Quartier UNIL-Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Gerald Heckel
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Baltzerstrasse 6, 3012 Bern, Switzerland; Swiss Institute of Bioinformatics, Amphipôle, Quartier UNIL-Sorge, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
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26
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Wilder AP, Supple MA, Subramanian A, Mudide A, Swofford R, Serres-Armero A, Steiner C, Koepfli KP, Genereux DP, Karlsson EK, Lindblad-Toh K, Marques-Bonet T, Munoz Fuentes V, Foley K, Meyer WK, Ryder OA, Shapiro B, Andrews G, Armstrong JC, Bianchi M, Birren BW, Bredemeyer KR, Breit AM, Christmas MJ, Clawson H, Damas J, Di Palma F, Diekhans M, Dong MX, Eizirik E, Fan K, Fanter C, Foley NM, Forsberg-Nilsson K, Garcia CJ, Gatesy J, Gazal S, Genereux DP, Goodman L, Grimshaw J, Halsey MK, Harris AJ, Hickey G, Hiller M, Hindle AG, Hubley RM, Hughes GM, Johnson J, Juan D, Kaplow IM, Karlsson EK, Keough KC, Kirilenko B, Koepfli KP, Korstian JM, Kowalczyk A, Kozyrev SV, Lawler AJ, Lawless C, Lehmann T, Levesque DL, Lewin HA, Li X, Lind A, Lindblad-Toh K, Mackay-Smith A, Marinescu VD, Marques-Bonet T, Mason VC, Meadows JRS, Meyer WK, Moore JE, Moreira LR, Moreno-Santillan DD, Morrill KM, Muntané G, Murphy WJ, Navarro A, Nweeia M, Ortmann S, Osmanski A, Paten B, Paulat NS, Pfenning AR, Phan BN, Pollard KS, Pratt HE, Ray DA, Reilly SK, Rosen JR, Ruf I, Ryan L, Ryder OA, Sabeti PC, Schäffer DE, Serres A, Shapiro B, Smit AFA, Springer M, Srinivasan C, Steiner C, Storer JM, Sullivan KAM, Sullivan PF, Sundström E, Supple MA, Swofford R, Talbot JE, Teeling E, Turner-Maier J, Valenzuela A, Wagner F, Wallerman O, Wang C, Wang J, Weng Z, Wilder AP, Wirthlin ME, Xue JR, Zhang X. The contribution of historical processes to contemporary extinction risk in placental mammals. Science 2023; 380:eabn5856. [PMID: 37104572 PMCID: PMC10184782 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn5856] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Species persistence can be influenced by the amount, type, and distribution of diversity across the genome, suggesting a potential relationship between historical demography and resilience. In this study, we surveyed genetic variation across single genomes of 240 mammals that compose the Zoonomia alignment to evaluate how historical effective population size (Ne) affects heterozygosity and deleterious genetic load and how these factors may contribute to extinction risk. We find that species with smaller historical Ne carry a proportionally larger burden of deleterious alleles owing to long-term accumulation and fixation of genetic load and have a higher risk of extinction. This suggests that historical demography can inform contemporary resilience. Models that included genomic data were predictive of species' conservation status, suggesting that, in the absence of adequate census or ecological data, genomic information may provide an initial risk assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aryn P Wilder
- Conservation Genetics, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | - Megan A Supple
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
| | | | | | - Ross Swofford
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
| | - Aitor Serres-Armero
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 08003, Spain
| | - Cynthia Steiner
- Conservation Genetics, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | - Klaus-Peter Koepfli
- Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, George Mason University, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA
- Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Washington, DC 30008, USA
- Computer Technologies Laboratory, ITMO University, St. Petersburg 197101, Russia
| | | | - Elinor K Karlsson
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Program in Bioinformatics and Integrative Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA 01605, USA
| | - Kerstin Lindblad-Toh
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Science for Life Laboratory, Department of Medical Biochemistry and Microbiology, Uppsala University, Uppsala 751 32, Sweden
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, Department of Experimental and Health Sciences, Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona 08003, Spain
- Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies, Barcelona 08010, Spain
- Centre for Genomic Regulation, Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology, Barcelona 08028, Spain
- Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Barcelona 08193, Spain
| | - Violeta Munoz Fuentes
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory-European Bioinformatics Institute, Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton CB10 1SD, UK
| | - Kathleen Foley
- College of Law, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA 52242, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Wynn K Meyer
- Department of Biological Sciences, Lehigh University, Bethlehem, PA 18015, USA
| | - Oliver A Ryder
- Conservation Genetics, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
- Department of Evolution, Behavior and Ecology, Division of Biology, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92039, USA
| | - Beth Shapiro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
- Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95064, USA
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27
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Upham NS, Landis MJ. Genomics expands the mammalverse. Science 2023; 380:358-359. [PMID: 37104595 PMCID: PMC10876211 DOI: 10.1126/science.add2209] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/29/2023]
Abstract
Diverse mammal genomes open a new portal to hidden aspects of evolutionary history.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan S Upham
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Michael J Landis
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO, USA
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28
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Kyriazis CC, Robinson JA, Nigenda-Morales SF, Beichman AC, Rojas-Bracho L, Robertson KM, Fontaine MC, Wayne RK, Taylor BL, Lohmueller KE, Morin PA. Models based on best-available information support a low inbreeding load and potential for recovery in the vaquita. Heredity (Edinb) 2023; 130:183-187. [PMID: 36941409 PMCID: PMC10076335 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-023-00608-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Revised: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher C Kyriazis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Jacqueline A Robinson
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
| | - Sergio F Nigenda-Morales
- Advanced Genomics Unit, National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio), Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav); Irapuato, Guanajuato, Mexico
| | - Annabel C Beichman
- Department of Genome Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Kelly M Robertson
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Michael C Fontaine
- MIVEGEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Centre de Recherche en Écologie et Évolution de la Santé (CREES), Montpellier, France
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Robert K Wayne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Barbara L Taylor
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Kirk E Lohmueller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
| | - Phillip A Morin
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA, USA.
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29
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Garcia-Dorado A, Hedrick P. Some hope and many concerns on the future of the vaquita. Heredity (Edinb) 2023; 130:179-182. [PMID: 36333594 PMCID: PMC10076255 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00573-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2022] [Revised: 10/23/2022] [Accepted: 10/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Aurora Garcia-Dorado
- Departamento de Genetica, Fisiologia y Microbiologia, Facultad de Biologia, Universidad Complutense, 28040, Madrid, Spain.
| | - Philip Hedrick
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
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30
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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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31
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Kardos M, Zhang Y, Parsons KM, A Y, Kang H, Xu X, Liu X, Matkin CO, Zhang P, Ward EJ, Hanson MB, Emmons C, Ford MJ, Fan G, Li S. Inbreeding depression explains killer whale population dynamics. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:675-686. [PMID: 36941343 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-01995-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2022] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2023]
Abstract
Understanding the factors that cause endangered populations to either grow or decline is crucial for preserving biodiversity. Conservation efforts often address extrinsic threats, such as environmental degradation and overexploitation, that can limit the recovery of endangered populations. Genetic factors such as inbreeding depression can also affect population dynamics but these effects are rarely measured in the wild and thus often neglected in conservation efforts. Here we show that inbreeding depression strongly influences the population dynamics of an endangered killer whale population, despite genomic signatures of purging of deleterious alleles via natural selection. We find that the 'Southern Residents', which are currently endangered despite nearly 50 years of conservation efforts, exhibit strong inbreeding depression for survival. Our population models suggest that this inbreeding depression limits population growth and predict further decline if the population remains genetically isolated and typical environmental conditions continue. The Southern Residents also had more inferred homozygous deleterious alleles than three other, growing, populations, further suggesting that inbreeding depression affects population fitness. These results demonstrate that inbreeding depression can substantially limit the recovery of endangered populations. Conservation actions focused only on extrinsic threats may therefore fail to account for key intrinsic genetic factors that also limit population growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marty Kardos
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Yaolei Zhang
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Kim M Parsons
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Yunga A
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China
| | - Hui Kang
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Xun Xu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | - Xin Liu
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China
| | | | - Peijun Zhang
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China
| | - Eric J Ward
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - M Bradley Hanson
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Candice Emmons
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Michael J Ford
- Northwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Seattle, WA, USA.
| | - Guangyi Fan
- BGI-Qingdao, BGI-Shenzhen, Qingdao, China.
- BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.
- State Key Laboratory of Agricultural Genomics, BGI-Shenzhen, Shenzhen, China.
| | - Songhai Li
- Marine Mammal and Marine Bioacoustics Laboratory, Institute of Deep-sea Science and Engineering, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Sanya, China.
- Center for Ocean Mega-Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Qingdao, China.
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32
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Dodge TO, Farquharson KA, Ford C, Cavanagh L, Schubert K, Schumer M, Belov K, Hogg CJ. Genomes of two Extinct-in-the-Wild reptiles from Christmas Island reveal distinct evolutionary histories and conservation insights. Mol Ecol Resour 2023. [PMID: 36872490 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13780] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/22/2022] [Revised: 02/16/2023] [Accepted: 03/02/2023] [Indexed: 03/07/2023]
Abstract
Genomics can play important roles in biodiversity conservation, especially for Extinct-in-the-Wild species where genetic factors greatly influence risk of total extinction and probability of successful reintroductions. The Christmas Island blue-tailed skink (Cryptoblepharus egeriae) and Lister's gecko (Lepidodactylus listeri) are two endemic reptile species that went extinct in the wild shortly after the introduction of a predatory snake. After a decade of management, captive populations have expanded from 66 skinks and 43 geckos to several thousand individuals; however, little is known about patterns of genetic variation in these species. Here, we use PacBio HiFi long-read and Hi-C sequencing to generate highly contiguous reference genomes for both reptiles, including the XY chromosome pair in the skink. We then analyse patterns of genetic diversity to infer ancient demography and more recent histories of inbreeding. We observe high genome-wide heterozygosity in the skink (0.007 heterozygous sites per base-pair) and gecko (0.005), consistent with large historical population sizes. However, nearly 10% of the blue-tailed skink reference genome falls within long (>1 Mb) runs of homozygosity (ROH), resulting in homozygosity at all major histocompatibility complex (MHC) loci. In contrast, we detect a single ROH in Lister's gecko. We infer from the ROH lengths that related skinks may have established the captive populations. Despite a shared recent extinction in the wild, our results suggest important differences in these species' histories and implications for management. We show how reference genomes can contribute evolutionary and conservation insights, and we provide resources for future population-level and comparative genomic studies in reptiles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tristram O Dodge
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
- Australian-American Fulbright Commission, Deakin, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Katherine A Farquharson
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Claire Ford
- Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Mosman, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lisa Cavanagh
- Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Mosman, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Molly Schumer
- Department of Biology, Stanford University, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Katherine Belov
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Carolyn J Hogg
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide and Protein Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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33
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Robinson J, Kyriazis CC, Yuan SC, Lohmueller KE. Deleterious Variation in Natural Populations and Implications for Conservation Genetics. Annu Rev Anim Biosci 2023; 11:93-114. [PMID: 36332644 PMCID: PMC9933137 DOI: 10.1146/annurev-animal-080522-093311] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Deleterious mutations decrease reproductive fitness and are ubiquitous in genomes. Given that many organisms face ongoing threats of extinction, there is interest in elucidating the impact of deleterious variation on extinction risk and optimizing management strategies accounting for such mutations. Quantifying deleterious variation and understanding the effects of population history on deleterious variation are complex endeavors because we do not know the strength of selection acting on each mutation. Further, the effect of demographic history on deleterious mutations depends on the strength of selection against the mutation and the degree of dominance. Here we clarify how deleterious variation can be quantified and studied in natural populations. We then discuss how different demographic factors, such as small population size, nonequilibrium population size changes, inbreeding, and gene flow, affect deleterious variation. Lastly, we provide guidance on studying deleterious variation in nonmodel populations of conservation concern.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline Robinson
- Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, California, USA;
| | - Christopher C Kyriazis
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA; , ,
| | - Stella C Yuan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA; , ,
| | - Kirk E Lohmueller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA; , , .,Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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34
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Divergent sensory and immune gene evolution in sea turtles with contrasting demographic and life histories. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2201076120. [PMID: 36749728 PMCID: PMC9962930 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2201076120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Sea turtles represent an ancient lineage of marine vertebrates that evolved from terrestrial ancestors over 100 Mya. The genomic basis of the unique physiological and ecological traits enabling these species to thrive in diverse marine habitats remains largely unknown. Additionally, many populations have drastically declined due to anthropogenic activities over the past two centuries, and their recovery is a high global conservation priority. We generated and analyzed high-quality reference genomes for the leatherback (Dermochelys coriacea) and green (Chelonia mydas) turtles, representing the two extant sea turtle families. These genomes are highly syntenic and homologous, but localized regions of noncollinearity were associated with higher copy numbers of immune, zinc-finger, and olfactory receptor (OR) genes in green turtles, with ORs related to waterborne odorants greatly expanded in green turtles. Our findings suggest that divergent evolution of these key gene families may underlie immunological and sensory adaptations assisting navigation, occupancy of neritic versus pelagic environments, and diet specialization. Reduced collinearity was especially prevalent in microchromosomes, with greater gene content, heterozygosity, and genetic distances between species, supporting their critical role in vertebrate evolutionary adaptation. Finally, diversity and demographic histories starkly contrasted between species, indicating that leatherback turtles have had a low yet stable effective population size, exhibit extremely low diversity compared with other reptiles, and harbor a higher genetic load compared with green turtles, reinforcing concern over their persistence under future climate scenarios. These genomes provide invaluable resources for advancing our understanding of evolution and conservation best practices in an imperiled vertebrate lineage.
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35
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Kyriazis CC, Beichman AC, Brzeski KE, Hoy SR, Peterson RO, Vucetich JA, Vucetich LM, Lohmueller KE, Wayne RK. Genomic Underpinnings of Population Persistence in Isle Royale Moose. Mol Biol Evol 2023; 40:7024794. [PMID: 36729989 PMCID: PMC9927576 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msad021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2022] [Revised: 01/20/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2023] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Island ecosystems provide natural laboratories to assess the impacts of isolation on population persistence. However, most studies of persistence have focused on a single species, without comparisons to other organisms they interact with in the ecosystem. The case study of moose and gray wolves on Isle Royale allows for a direct contrast of genetic variation in isolated populations that have experienced dramatically differing population trajectories over the past decade. Whereas the Isle Royale wolf population recently declined nearly to extinction due to severe inbreeding depression, the moose population has thrived and continues to persist, despite having low genetic diversity and being isolated for ∼120 years. Here, we examine the patterns of genomic variation underlying the continued persistence of the Isle Royale moose population. We document high levels of inbreeding in the population, roughly as high as the wolf population at the time of its decline. However, inbreeding in the moose population manifests in the form of intermediate-length runs of homozygosity suggestive of historical inbreeding and purging, contrasting with the long runs of homozygosity observed in the smaller wolf population. Using simulations, we confirm that substantial purging has likely occurred in the moose population. However, we also document notable increases in genetic load, which could eventually threaten population viability over the long term. Overall, our results demonstrate a complex relationship between inbreeding, genetic diversity, and population viability that highlights the use of genomic datasets and computational simulation tools for understanding the factors enabling persistence in isolated populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kristin E Brzeski
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
| | - Sarah R Hoy
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
| | - Rolf O Peterson
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
| | - John A Vucetich
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
| | - Leah M Vucetich
- College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI
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36
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Lukacs M, Nymo IH, Madslien K, Våge J, Veiberg V, Rolandsen CM, Bøe CA, Sundaram AYM, Grimholt U. Functional immune diversity in reindeer reveals a high Arctic population at risk. Front Ecol Evol 2023. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.1058674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023] Open
Abstract
Climate changes the geographic range of both species as well as pathogens, causing a potential increase in the vulnerability of populations or species with limited genetic diversity. With advances in high throughput sequencing (HTS) technologies, we can now define functional expressed genetic diversity of wild species at a larger scale and identify populations at risk. Previous studies have used genomic DNA to define major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II diversity in reindeer. Varying numbers of expressed genes found in many ungulates strongly argues for using cDNA in MHC typing strategies to ensure that diversity estimates relate to functional genes. We have used available reindeer genomes to identify candidate genes and established an HTS approach to define expressed MHC class I and class II diversity. To capture a broad diversity we included samples from wild reindeer from Southern Norway, semi-domesticated reindeer from Northern Norway and reindeer from the high Artic archipelago Svalbard. Our data show a medium MHC diversity in semi-domesticated and wild Norwegian mainland reindeer, and low MHC diversity reindeer in Svalbard reindeer. The low immune diversity in Svalbard reindeer provides a potential risk if the pathogenic pressure changes in response to altered environmental conditions due to climate change, or increased human-related activity.
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37
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Genomes of endangered great hammerhead and shortfin mako sharks reveal historic population declines and high levels of inbreeding in great hammerhead. iScience 2022; 26:105815. [PMID: 36632067 PMCID: PMC9826928 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2022] [Revised: 11/23/2022] [Accepted: 12/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Despite increasing threats of extinction to Elasmobranchii (sharks and rays), whole genome-based conservation insights are lacking. Here, we present chromosome-level genome assemblies for the Critically Endangered great hammerhead (Sphyrna mokarran) and the Endangered shortfin mako (Isurus oxyrinchus) sharks, with genetic diversity and historical demographic comparisons to other shark species. The great hammerhead exhibited low genetic variation, with 8.7% of the 2.77 Gbp genome in runs of homozygosity (ROH) > 1 Mbp and 74.4% in ROH >100 kbp. The 4.98 Gbp shortfin mako genome had considerably greater diversity and <1% in ROH > 1 Mbp. Both these sharks experienced precipitous declines in effective population size (Ne) over the last 250 thousand years. While shortfin mako exhibited a large historical Ne that may have enabled the retention of higher genetic variation, the genomic data suggest a possibly more concerning picture for the great hammerhead, and a need for evaluation with additional individuals.
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38
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Smeds L, Ellegren H. From high masked to high realized genetic load in inbred Scandinavian wolves. Mol Ecol 2022; 32:1567-1580. [PMID: 36458895 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Revised: 11/17/2022] [Accepted: 11/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
When new mutations arise at functional sites they are more likely to impair than improve fitness. If not removed by purifying selection, such deleterious mutations will generate a genetic load that can have negative fitness effects in small populations and increase the risk of extinction. This is relevant for the highly inbred Scandinavian wolf (Canis lupus) population, founded by only three wolves in the 1980s and suffering from inbreeding depression. We used functional annotation and evolutionary conservation scores to study deleterious variation in a total of 209 genomes from both the Scandinavian and neighbouring wolf populations in northern Europe. The masked load (deleterious mutations in heterozygote state) was highest in Russia and Finland with deleterious alleles segregating at lower frequency than neutral variation. Genetic drift in the Scandinavian population led to the loss of ancestral alleles, fixation of deleterious variants and a significant increase in the per-individual realized load (deleterious mutations in homozygote state; an increase by 45% in protein-coding genes) over five generations of inbreeding. Arrival of immigrants gave a temporary genetic rescue effect with ancestral alleles re-entering the population and thereby shifting deleterious alleles from homozygous into heterozygote genotypes. However, in the absence of permanent connectivity to Finnish and Russian populations, inbreeding has then again led to the exposure of deleterious mutations. These observations provide genome-wide insight into the magnitude of genetic load and genetic rescue at the molecular level, and in relation to population history. They emphasize the importance of securing gene flow in the management of endangered populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Linnéa Smeds
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Hans Ellegren
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
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39
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Rojas-Bracho L, Taylor B, Booth C, Thomas L, Jaramillo-Legorreta A, Nieto-García E, Cárdenas Hinojosa G, Barlow J, Mesnick SL, Gerrodette T, Olson P, Henry A, Rizo H, Hidalgo-Pla E, Bonilla-Garzón A. More vaquita porpoises survive than expected. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2022. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01197] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
In 2018, it was estimated that fewer than 20 of Mexico’s endemic vaquita porpoise Phocoena sinus remained, and the species was declining by 47% yr-1. Entanglement in gillnets is the sole threat to the species, and since the last population size estimate, gillnetting has increased in the small area where most vaquitas remain—a 12 × 24 km area in the Gulf of California near San Felipe, Mexico. We conducted research efforts in 2019 and 2021 in that area to estimate the minimum numbers of adults and calves and look for any signs that vaquitas are unhealthy. Through expert elicitation, we estimated between 7 and 15 unique individuals were seen in 2019 and 5-13 were seen in 2021. Calves were seen in both years, and all vaquitas appeared healthy. Population projections from the last full survey indicated that more vaquitas have survived than expected. We suggest that these surviving adult vaquitas may have learned to avoid entanglement in gillnets. These vaquitas and their calves provide hope that the species can survive. However, given the high levels of illegal gillnetting and the theft of equipment which hindered our monitoring efforts, and with only around 10 individuals remaining, survival can only be assured if vaquita habitat is made gillnet-free.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Rojas-Bracho
- PNUD/Sinergiaen en la Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas, Ensenada, BC, México
| | - B Taylor
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - C Booth
- SMRU Consulting, St Andrews, Fife KY16 8LB, UK
| | - L Thomas
- Centre for Research into Ecological and Environmental Modelling, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9LZ, UK
| | | | - E Nieto-García
- Comisión Natural de Áreas Naturales Protegidas, Ensenada, BC, México
| | | | - J Barlow
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - SL Mesnick
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - T Gerrodette
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - P Olson
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - A Henry
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - H Rizo
- Museo de la Ballena y Ciencias del Mar, La Paz, BC 23000, México
| | - E Hidalgo-Pla
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA
| | - A Bonilla-Garzón
- K. Lisa Yang Center for Conservation Bioacoustics, Ithaca, NY 14850, USA
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40
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Paez S, Kraus RHS, Shapiro B, Gilbert MTP, Jarvis ED, Al-Ajli FO, Ceballos G, Crawford AJ, Fedrigo O, Johnson RN, Johnson WE, Marques-Bonet T, Morin PA, Mueller RC, Ryder OA, Teeling EC, Venkatesh B. Reference genomes for conservation. Science 2022; 377:364-366. [PMID: 35862547 DOI: 10.1126/science.abm8127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
High-quality reference genomes for non-model species can benefit conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Farooq Omar Al-Ajli
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA.,Monash University Malaysia Genomics Facility, School of Science, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia.,Tropical Medicine and Biology Multidisciplinary Platform, Monash University Malaysia, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - Gerardo Ceballos
- Instituto de Ecologia, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de Mexico, CU, Coyoacán, 04510 Ciudad de México, Mexico
| | - Andrew J Crawford
- Department of Biological Sciences, Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá 111711, Colombia
| | - Olivier Fedrigo
- Vertebrate Genome Laboratory, The Rockefeller University, New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - Rebecca N Johnson
- Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC 20013-7012, USA
| | - Warren E Johnson
- The Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Smithsonian Institution, 4210 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD 20746, USA
| | - Tomas Marques-Bonet
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (UPF-CSIC), PRBB, Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003 Barcelona, Spain.,Catalan Institution of Research and Advanced Studies (ICREA), Passeig de Lluís Companys, 23, 08010 Barcelona, Spain.,CNAG-CRG, Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG), Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology (BIST), Barcelona, Baldiri i Reixac 4 08028, Spain.,Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, Edifici ICTA-ICP, c/ Columnes s/n, 08193 Cerdanyola del Vallès, Spain
| | - Phillip A Morin
- Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Ralf C Mueller
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Oliver A Ryder
- San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, Beckman Center, Escondido, CA 92027, USA
| | - Emma C Teeling
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Byrappa Venkatesh
- Comparative Genomics Laboratory, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, A*STAR, Biopolis, Singapore 138673, Singapore
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41
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Mohr DW, Gaughran SJ, Paschall J, Naguib A, Pang AWC, Dudchenko O, Aiden EL, Church DM, Scott AF. A Chromosome-Length Assembly of the Hawaiian Monk Seal (Neomonachus schauinslandi): A History of “Genetic Purging” and Genomic Stability. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13071270. [PMID: 35886053 PMCID: PMC9323584 DOI: 10.3390/genes13071270] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Revised: 06/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/07/2022] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
The Hawaiian monk seal (HMS) is the single extant species of tropical earless seals of the genus Neomonachus. The species survived a severe bottleneck in the late 19th century and experienced subsequent population declines until becoming the subject of a NOAA-led species recovery effort beginning in 1976 when the population was fewer than 1000 animals. Like other recovering species, the Hawaiian monk seal has been reported to have reduced genetic heterogeneity due to the bottleneck and subsequent inbreeding. Here, we report a chromosomal reference assembly for a male animal produced using a variety of methods. The final assembly consisted of 16 autosomes, an X, and portions of the Y chromosomes. We compared variants in this animal to other HMS and to a frequently sequenced human sample, confirming about 12% of the variation seen in man. To confirm that the reference animal was representative of the HMS, we compared his sequence to that of 10 other individuals and noted similarly low variation in all. Variation in the major histocompatibility (MHC) genes was nearly absent compared to the orthologous human loci. Demographic analysis predicts that Hawaiian monk seals have had a long history of small populations preceding the bottleneck, and their current low levels of heterozygosity may indicate specialization to a stable environment. When we compared our reference assembly to that of other species, we observed significant conservation of chromosomal architecture with other pinnipeds, especially other phocids. This reference should be a useful tool for future evolutionary studies as well as the long-term management of this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- David W. Mohr
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (D.W.M.); (J.P.)
| | - Stephen J. Gaughran
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA;
| | - Justin Paschall
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (D.W.M.); (J.P.)
| | - Ahmed Naguib
- Bionano Genomics, Inc., 9640 Towne Centre Dr., Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121, USA; (A.N.); (A.W.C.P.)
| | - Andy Wing Chun Pang
- Bionano Genomics, Inc., 9640 Towne Centre Dr., Suite 100, San Diego, CA 92121, USA; (A.N.); (A.W.C.P.)
| | - Olga Dudchenko
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (O.D.); (E.L.A.)
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
| | - Erez Lieberman Aiden
- The Center for Genome Architecture, Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA; (O.D.); (E.L.A.)
- Center for Theoretical Biological Physics, Rice University, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- UWA School of Agriculture and Environment, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
- Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA
- Shanghai Institute for Advanced Immunochemical Studies, ShanghaiTech University, Shanghai 201210, China
| | | | - Alan F. Scott
- Department of Genetic Medicine, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD 21287, USA; (D.W.M.); (J.P.)
- Correspondence:
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Grueber CE, Sunnucks P. Using genomics to fight extinction. Science 2022; 376:574-575. [PMID: 35511984 DOI: 10.1126/science.abp9874] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Quantifying fitness of wild organisms from genomic data alone is a challenging frontier.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine E Grueber
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Paul Sunnucks
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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