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Cuxart-Erruz R, Van Dooren TJM, van der Geer AAE, Galis F. Increased incidences of cervical ribs in deer indicate extinction risk. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2406670121. [PMID: 39284067 PMCID: PMC11441530 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2406670121] [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: 04/02/2024] [Accepted: 07/30/2024] [Indexed: 10/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Mammals as a rule have seven cervical vertebrae, a number which remains remarkably conserved. Occasional deviations of this number are usually due to the presence of cervical ribs on the seventh vertebra, indicating a homeotic transformation from a cervical rib-less vertebra into a thoracic rib-bearing vertebra. These transformations are often associated with major congenital abnormalities or pediatric cancers (pleiotropic effects) that are, at least in humans, strongly selected against. Based on data from Late Pleistocene mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) and woolly rhinoceroses (Coelodonta antiquitatis) from the North Sea, we hypothesized that high incidences of cervical ribs in declining populations are due to inbreeding and/or adverse conditions impacting early pregnancies. In this study, we investigated the incidence of cervical ribs in an extinct Late Pleistocene megaherbivore, giant deer (Megaloceros giganteus) from Ireland and in the extant highly inbred Père David deer (Elaphurus davidianus) and in twenty other extant species. We show that the incidence of cervical ribs is exceptionally high in both the Irish giant deer and the Père David deer and much higher than in extant outbred deer. Our data support the hypothesis that inbreeding and genetic drift increase the frequencies of maladaptive alleles in populations at risk of extinction. The high incidence of cervical ribs indicates a vulnerable condition, which may have contributed to the extinction of megaherbivore species in the Late Pleistocene. We argue that cervical rib frequency may be a good proxy for extinction risk in inbred populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Raimon Cuxart-Erruz
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Division Vertebrate Evolution, Development and Ecology, Darwinweg 2, Leiden 2333 CR, The Netherlands
| | - Tom J M Van Dooren
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Division Vertebrate Evolution, Development and Ecology, Darwinweg 2, Leiden 2333 CR, The Netherlands
- CNRS, Institute of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Paris, Sorbonne University, Paris 75005, France
| | - Alexandra A E van der Geer
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Division Vertebrate Evolution, Development and Ecology, Darwinweg 2, Leiden 2333 CR, The Netherlands
| | - Frietson Galis
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Division Vertebrate Evolution, Development and Ecology, Darwinweg 2, Leiden 2333 CR, The Netherlands
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Onorato DP, Cunningham MW, Lotz M, Criffield M, Shindle D, Johnson A, Clemons BCF, Shea CP, Roelke-Parker ME, Johnson WE, McClintock BT, Pilgrim KL, Schwartz MK, Oli MK. Multi-generational benefits of genetic rescue. Sci Rep 2024; 14:17519. [PMID: 39080286 PMCID: PMC11289468 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-67033-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2024] [Accepted: 07/08/2024] [Indexed: 08/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Genetic rescue-an increase in population fitness following the introduction of new alleles-has been proven to ameliorate inbreeding depression in small, isolated populations, yet is rarely applied as a conservation tool. A lingering question regarding genetic rescue in wildlife conservation is how long beneficial effects persist in admixed populations. Using data collected over 40 years from 1192 endangered Florida panthers (Puma concolor coryi) across nine generations, we show that the experimental genetic rescue implemented in 1995-via the release of eight female pumas from Texas-alleviated morphological, genetic, and demographic correlates of inbreeding depression, subsequently preventing extirpation of the population. We present unequivocal evidence, for the first time in any terrestrial vertebrate, that genetic and phenotypic benefits of genetic rescue remain in this population after five generations of admixture, which helped increase panther abundance (> fivefold) and genetic effective population size (> 20-fold). Additionally, even with extensive admixture, microsatellite allele frequencies in the population continue to support the distinctness of Florida panthers from other North American puma populations, including Texas. Although threats including habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict, and infectious diseases are challenges to many imperiled populations, our results suggest genetic rescue can serve as an effective, multi-generational tool for conservation of small, isolated populations facing extinction from inbreeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dave P Onorato
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 298 Sabal Palm Rd, Naples, FL, 34114, USA.
| | - Mark W Cunningham
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
| | - Mark Lotz
- Division of Habitat and Species Conservation, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Naples, FL, 34114, USA
| | - Marc Criffield
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, 298 Sabal Palm Rd, Naples, FL, 34114, USA
| | - David Shindle
- US Fish and Wildlife Service, Florida Ecological Services Field Office, Immokalee, FL, 34142, USA
| | - Annette Johnson
- Big Cypress National Preserve, National Park Service, Ochopee, FL, 34141, USA
| | - Bambi C F Clemons
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
| | - Colin P Shea
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA
| | | | - Warren E Johnson
- Department of Biology, Loyola University of Maryland, Baltimore, MD, 21210, USA
| | - Brett T McClintock
- Marine Mammal Laboratory, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Service, Seattle, WA, 98115, USA
| | - Kristine L Pilgrim
- USDA Forest Service, National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, Missoula, MT, 59801, USA
| | - Michael K Schwartz
- USDA Forest Service, National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, Missoula, MT, 59801, USA
| | - Madan K Oli
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
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3
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vonHoldt BM, DeCandia AL, Cassidy KA, Stahler EE, Sinsheimer JS, Smith DW, Stahler DR. Patterns of reproduction and autozygosity distinguish the breeding from nonbreeding gray wolves of Yellowstone National Park. J Hered 2024; 115:327-338. [PMID: 37793153 PMCID: PMC11235126 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad062] [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: 03/25/2023] [Revised: 09/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/06/2023] Open
Abstract
For species of management concern, accurate estimates of inbreeding and associated consequences on reproduction are crucial for predicting their future viability. However, few studies have partitioned this aspect of genetic viability with respect to reproduction in a group-living social mammal. We investigated the contributions of foundation stock lineages, putative fitness consequences of inbreeding, and genetic diversity of the breeding versus nonreproductive segment of the Yellowstone National Park gray wolf population. Our dataset spans 25 years and seven generations since reintroduction, encompassing 152 nuclear families and 329 litters. We found more than 87% of the pedigree foundation genomes persisted and report influxes of allelic diversity from two translocated wolves from a divergent source in Montana. As expected for group-living species, mean kinship significantly increased over time but with minimal loss of observed heterozygosity. Strikingly, the reproductive portion of the population carried a significantly lower genome-wide inbreeding coefficients, autozygosity, and more rapid decay for linkage disequilibrium relative to the nonbreeding population. Breeding wolves had significantly longer lifespans and lower inbreeding coefficients than nonbreeding wolves. Our model revealed that the number of litters was negatively significantly associated with heterozygosity (R = -0.11). Our findings highlight genetic contributions to fitness, and the importance of the reproductively active individuals in a population to counteract loss of genetic variation in a wild, free-ranging social carnivore. It is crucial for managers to mitigate factors that significantly reduce effective population size and genetic connectivity, which supports the dispersion of genetic variation that aids in rapid evolutionary responses to environmental challenges.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bridgett M vonHoldt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Alexandra L DeCandia
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, United States
- Center for Conservation Genomics, Smithsonian’s National Zoo and Conservation Biology Institute, Washington, DC, United States
| | - Kira A Cassidy
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, WY, United States
| | - Erin E Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, WY, United States
| | - Janet S Sinsheimer
- Department of Biostatistics, Fielding School of Public Health, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
- Department of Computational Medicine, David Geffen School of Medicine, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, United States
| | - Douglas W Smith
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, WY, United States
| | - Daniel R Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Yellowstone National Park, WY, United States
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4
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Salado I, Preick M, Lupiáñez-Corpas N, Fernández-Gil A, Vilà C, Hofreiter M, Leonard JA. Large variance in inbreeding within the Iberian wolf population. J Hered 2024; 115:349-359. [PMID: 37955431 PMCID: PMC11235127 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esad071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/14/2023] Open
Abstract
The gray wolf (Canis lupus) population on the Iberian Peninsula was the largest in western and central Europe during most of the 20th century, with its size apparently never under a few hundred individuals. After partial legal protection in the 1970s in Spain, the northwest Iberian population increased to about 300 to 350 packs and then stabilized. In contrast to many current European wolf populations, which have been connected through gene flow, the Iberian wolf population has been isolated for decades. Here, we measured changes in genomic diversity and inbreeding through the last decades in a geographic context. We find that the level of genomic diversity in Iberian wolves is low compared with other Eurasian wolf populations. Despite population expansion in the last 50 years, some modern wolves had very high inbreeding, especially in the recently recolonized and historical edge areas. These individuals contrast with others with low inbreeding within the same population. The high variance in inbreeding despite population expansion seems associated with small-scale fragmentation of the range that is revealed by the genetic similarity between modern and historical samples from close localities despite being separated by decades, remaining differentiated from other individuals that are just over 100 km away, a small distance for a species with great dispersal capacity inhabiting a continuous range. This illustrates that, despite its demographically stable condition, the population would probably benefit from favoring connectivity within the population as well as genetic exchange with other European wolf populations to avoid excessive fragmentation and local inbreeding depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Isabel Salado
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Michaela Preick
- Evolutionary Adaptive Genomics Group, Faculty of Science, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Natividad Lupiáñez-Corpas
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Alberto Fernández-Gil
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Carles Vilà
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Michael Hofreiter
- Evolutionary Adaptive Genomics Group, Faculty of Science, Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jennifer A Leonard
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
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5
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Musiani M, Randi E. Conservation genomics of wolves: The global impact of RK Wayne's research. J Hered 2024; 115:458-469. [PMID: 38381553 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esae007] [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: 01/31/2024] [Accepted: 02/20/2024] [Indexed: 02/23/2024] Open
Abstract
RK Wayne has arguably been the most influential geneticist of canids, famously promoting the conservation of wolves in his homeland, the United States. His influence has been felt in other countries and regions outside the contiguous United States, where he inspired others, also including former graduate students and research fellows of his, to use modern molecular techniques to examine the evolutionary biology of canids to inform the conservation and management of wolves. In this review, we focus on the implications of Wayne's work on wolves outside the United States. He envisioned a clear future for wolf conservation research, involving the study of wolves' ecological and genetic diversity, and the description of ecotypes requiring conservation. He also documented widespread hybridization among canids and introgression of DNA from domestic dogs to wolves, a process that started dozens of thousands of years ago. His work therefore calls for innovative studies, such as examining the potential fitness benefits of introgression. Inspired by his results, for example, on the purging of deleterious alleles in small populations, wolf researchers should use novel molecular tools to challenge other conservation genetics paradigms. Overall, RK Wayne's work constitutes a call for answers, which as scientists or citizens concerned with conservation matters, we are obliged to address, as we contribute to monitoring and maintaining biodiversity during our period of dramatic transformations of the biosphere.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marco Musiani
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali (BiGeA), University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Ettore Randi
- Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg Øst, Denmark
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6
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Schernig-Mráz M, Grauer AL, Morgenegg G. Dental health in Roman dogs: A pilot study using standardized examination methods. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PALEOPATHOLOGY 2023; 43:72-84. [PMID: 37839223 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijpp.2023.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2023] [Revised: 09/15/2023] [Accepted: 09/20/2023] [Indexed: 10/17/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To utilize standardized clinical veterinary methods to analyze dental health in a series of Roman dog maxillae and mandibles and to compare results to modern clinical data. MATERIALS 28 skulls of juvenile and adult dogs from three archaeological sites in Switzerland and Germany dating to the Roman period. METHODS Standardized examination was carried out, which included metric radiographic assessment to diagnose oral pathology and estimate age at death. In one case, CT analysis was undertaken. RESULTS The estimated average age at death was between three and four years old. Tooth fracture, periodontal disease, the presence of non-vital teeth, and brachycephalic skull form were found in the sample. Tooth resorption was unexpectedly noted. CONCLUSION The study provides valuable insights into the dental health of dogs in the Roman era. Compared to modern dogs, Roman dogs examined in this study appear to have a shorter lifespan but display a high rate of pathological dental disease, while disease patterns were very similar to those of modern dogs. Dogs with pronounced brachycephalic features were found. SIGNIFICANCE This pilot study is the first to use standardized clinical examination and recording techniques to assess dental health in dogs from archaeological contexts. It provides insight into the dental health of Roman era dogs and offers data upon which cross-populational studies can be initiated. LIMITATIONS The sample size and geographic location of the archaeological sites were limited. SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH Subsequent standardized studies, preferably in as many different Roman Empire regions as possible, are recommended.
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Affiliation(s)
- Monika Schernig-Mráz
- Integrative Prehistory and Archaeological Science (IPAS), University of Basel, Spalenring 145, CH-4055 Basel, Switzerland.
| | - Anne L Grauer
- Department of Anthropology, Loyola University Chicago, 1032 W. Sheridan Road, Chicago, IL 60660, USA.
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Christie ALM, Lee MXY, Evenhuis JV, Rickert SS, Kass PH, Verstraete FJM. Dental and temporomandibular joint pathology of the island fox (Urocyon littoralis). J Comp Pathol 2023; 200:23-34. [PMID: 36630854 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2022.11.006] [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: 07/08/2022] [Revised: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 11/30/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Museum skull specimens from 318 island foxes (Urocyon littoralis) were examined macroscopically according to predefined criteria. The study population included males (n = 129, 40.6%), females (n = 93, 29.3%) and animals of unknown sex (n = 96, 30.2%), and comprised 182 (57.2%) adults, 118 (37.1%) young adults and 18 (5.7%) individuals of unknown age, with juveniles and neonates excluded. The number of teeth present for examination was 11,438 (85.6%) with 1918 (14.4%) absent artefactually, 4 (0.03%) absent congenitally and 243 (1.82%) lost ante mortem through acquired tooth loss. There were seven persistent deciduous teeth (0.05%) in three specimens and 11 supernumerary teeth (0.08%) in 10 specimens. Teeth with extra roots were found in 38 skulls (11.9%) with 0.48% of all teeth affected. Two (0.63%) specimens had one tooth with an abnormal form. Fifty-eight (18.2%) specimens had bone fenestrations. Of the alveoli examined, 5361 (46.9%) displayed bony changes suggestive of periodontitis, with 315 (99.1%) of skulls affected. Of the teeth available for examination in 310 specimens (97.5%), most (n = 6,040, 52.8%) had some degree of attrition or abrasion. Fractures affected 1217 (11.0%) of the teeth present in 266 specimens (83.6%). Twenty-three periapical lesions (0.20%) were present in 16 skulls (5.03%). Evidence of temporomandibular joint osteoarthritis was found in seven specimens (0.02%) on either the mandibular head of the condylar process or on the mandibular fossa of the temporal bone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anneka L M Christie
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Michelle X Y Lee
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Janny V Evenhuis
- William R. Pritchard Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Siobhan S Rickert
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Philip H Kass
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA
| | - Frank J M Verstraete
- Department of Surgical and Radiological Sciences, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, California, USA.
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8
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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: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [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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9
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Laikre L, Allendorf FW, Aspi J, Carroll C, Dalén L, Fredrickson R, Wheat CH, Hedrick P, Johannesson K, Kardos M, Peterson RO, Phillips M, Ryman N, Räikkönen J, Vilà C, Wheat CW, Vernesi C, Vucetich JA. Planned cull endangers Swedish wolf population. Science 2022; 377:162. [DOI: 10.1126/science.add5299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Linda Laikre
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Fred W. Allendorf
- Division of Biological Sciences, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Jouni Aspi
- Ecology and Genetics Research Unit, University of Oulu, FIN-90014 Oulu, Finland
| | - Carlos Carroll
- Klamath Center for Conservation Research, Orleans, CA 95556, USA
| | - Love Dalén
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- Centre for Palaeogenetics, SE 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
- Department of Bioinformatics and Genetics, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | | | - Philip Hedrick
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | | | - Marty Kardos
- National Marine Fisheries Service, Northwest Fisheries Science Center, Seattle, WA 98112, USA
| | - Rolf O. Peterson
- College of Forest Resources & Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
| | - Mike Phillips
- Turner Endangered Species Fund, Bozeman, MT 59718, USA
| | - Nils Ryman
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, SE 10691 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Jannikke Räikkönen
- Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, SE 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Carles Vilà
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana–Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, 41092 Sevilla, Spain
| | | | - Cristiano Vernesi
- Forest Ecology Unit, Research and Innovation Centre–Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all’Adige 38010 (TN), Italy
| | - John A. Vucetich
- College of Forest Resources & Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
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10
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Hecht S, Cushing AC, Williams-Hagler DA, Craig LE, Thomas WB, Anderson KM, Ramsay EC, Conklin GA. Magnetic Resonance Imaging in 50 Captive Non-domestic Felids - Technique and Imaging Diagnoses. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:827870. [PMID: 35211543 PMCID: PMC8861525 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.827870] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/04/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is the recognized gold standard for diagnostic imaging of the central nervous system in human and veterinary patients. Information on the use of this modality and possible imaging abnormalities in captive non-domestic felids is currently limited to individual case reports or small case series. This retrospective study provides information on technique and imaging findings in a cohort of cases undergoing MRI at an academic Veterinary Medical Center. The University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine MRI database was searched for non-domestic felids undergoing MRI of the brain or spine from 2008 to 2021. Medical record data were recorded, and MRI studies were reviewed. Fifty animals met the inclusion criteria. The most common brain diseases were Chiari-like malformation (n = 8) and inflammatory conditions (n = 8). Other abnormalities included pituitary lesions (n = 5), brain atrophy (n = 2), and one each of metabolic and traumatic conditions. Fourteen animals had a normal brain MRI study. The most common spinal abnormality was intervertebral disc disease (n = 7). Other disorders included vertebral dysplasia (n = 2), presumptive ischemic myelopathy (n = 1), subdural ossification causing spinal cord compression (n = 1), and multiple myeloma (n = 1). Spinal cord swelling of undetermined cause was suspected in two animals, and seven patients had a normal MRI study of the spine. MRI is a valuable tool in the diagnostic workup of non-domestic felids with presumptive neurologic disease.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silke Hecht
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
- *Correspondence: Silke Hecht
| | - Andrew C. Cushing
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | | | - Linden E. Craig
- Department of Biomedical and Diagnostic Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - William B. Thomas
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Kimberly M. Anderson
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Edward C. Ramsay
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
| | - Gordon A. Conklin
- Department of Small Animal Clinical Sciences, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, United States
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11
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Viluma A, Flagstad Ø, Åkesson M, Wikenros C, Sand H, Wabakken P, Ellegren H. Whole-genome resequencing of temporally stratified samples reveals substantial loss of haplotype diversity in the highly inbred Scandinavian wolf population. Genome Res 2022; 32:449-458. [PMID: 35135873 PMCID: PMC8896455 DOI: 10.1101/gr.276070.121] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Genetic drift can dramatically change allele frequencies in small populations and lead to reduced levels of genetic diversity, including loss of segregating variants. However, there is a shortage of quantitative studies of how genetic diversity changes over time in natural populations, especially on genome-wide scales. Here, we analyzed whole-genome sequences from 76 wolves of a highly inbred Scandinavian population, founded by only one female and two males, sampled over a period of 30 yr. We obtained chromosome-level haplotypes of all three founders and found that 10%–24% of their diploid genomes had become lost after about 20 yr of inbreeding (which approximately corresponds to five generations). Lost haplotypes spanned large genomic regions, as expected from the amount of recombination during this limited time period. Altogether, 160,000 SNP alleles became lost from the population, which may include adaptive variants as well as wild-type alleles masking recessively deleterious alleles. Although not sampled, we could indirectly infer that the two male founders had megabase-sized runs of homozygosity and that all three founders showed significant haplotype sharing, meaning that there were on average only 4.2 unique haplotypes in the six copies of each autosome that the founders brought into the population. This violates the assumption of unrelated founder haplotypes often made in conservation and management of endangered species. Our study provides a novel view of how whole-genome resequencing of temporally stratified samples can be used to visualize and directly quantify the consequences of genetic drift in a small inbred population.
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12
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Taron UH, Salado I, Escobar-Rodríguez M, Westbury MV, Butschkau S, Paijmans JLA, vonHoldt BM, Hofreiter M, Leonard JA. A sliver of the past: The decimation of the genetic diversity of the Mexican wolf. Mol Ecol 2021; 30:6340-6354. [PMID: 34161633 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16037] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2020] [Accepted: 06/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
The endangered Mexican wolf (Canis lupus baileyi) is known to carry exceedingly low levels of genetic diversity. This could be (i) the result of long-term evolutionary patterns as they exist at the southernmost limit of the species distribution at a relatively reduced effective size, or (ii) due to rapid population decline caused by human persecution over the last century. If the former, purifying selection is expected to have minimized the impact of inbreeding. If the latter, rapid and recent declines in genetic diversity may have resulted in severe fitness consequences. To differentiate these hypotheses, we conducted comparative whole-genome analyses of five historical Mexican wolves (1907-1917) and 18 contemporary Mexican and grey wolves from North America and Eurasia. Based on whole-genome data, historical and modern Mexican wolves together form a discrete unit. Moreover, we found that modern Mexican wolves have reduced genetic diversity and increased inbreeding relative to the historical population, which was widespread across the southwestern United States and not restricted to Mexico as previously assumed. Finally, although Mexican wolves have evolved in sympatry with coyotes (C. latrans), we observed lower introgression between historical Mexican wolves and coyotes than with modern Mexican wolves, despite similarities in body size. Taken together, our data show that recent population declines probably caused the reduced level of genetic diversity, but not the observed differentiation of the Mexican wolves from other North American wolves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ulrike H Taron
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Isabel Salado
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | | | - Michael V Westbury
- Section for Evolutionary Genomics, The GLOBE Institute, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Susanne Butschkau
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | | | - Bridgett M vonHoldt
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Michael Hofreiter
- Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Germany
| | - Jennifer A Leonard
- Conservation and Evolutionary Genetics Group, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
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13
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Wikenros C, Gicquel M, Zimmermann B, Flagstad Ø, Åkesson M. Age at first reproduction in wolves: different patterns of density dependence for females and males. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210207. [PMID: 33823674 PMCID: PMC8059544 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0207] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2021] [Accepted: 03/09/2021] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Age at first reproduction constitutes a key life-history trait in animals and is evolutionarily shaped by fitness benefits and costs of delayed versus early reproduction. The understanding of how intrinsic and extrinsic changes affects age at first reproduction is crucial for conservation and management of threatened species because of its demographic effects on population growth and generation time. For a period of 40 years in the Scandinavian wolf (Canis lupus) population, including the recolonization phase, we estimated age at first successful reproduction (pup survival to at least three weeks of age) and examined how the variation among individuals was explained by sex, population size (from 1 to 74 packs), primiparous or multiparous origin, reproductive experience of the partner and inbreeding. Median age at first reproduction was 3 years for females (n = 60) and 2 years for males (n = 74), and ranged between 1 and 8-10 years of age (n = 297). Female age at first reproduction decreased with increasing population size, and increased with higher levels of inbreeding. The probability for males to reproduce later first decreased, reaching its minimum when the number of territories approached 40-60, and then increased with increasing population size. Inbreeding for males and reproductive experience of parents and partners for both sexes had overall weak effects on age at first reproduction. These results allow for more accurate parameter estimates when modelling population dynamics for management and conservation of small and vulnerable wolf populations, and show how humans through legal harvest and illegal hunting influence an important life-history trait like age at first reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Camilla Wikenros
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 73993 Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Morgane Gicquel
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 73993 Riddarhyttan, Sweden
| | - Barbara Zimmermann
- Faculty of Applied Ecology, Agricultural Sciences and Biotechnology, Campus Evenstad, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, 2480 Koppang, Norway
| | - Øystein Flagstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, PO Box 5685 Torgard, 7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Mikael Åkesson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, 73993 Riddarhyttan, Sweden
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14
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Pires AE, Caldeira IS, Petrucci-Fonseca F, Viegas I, Viegas C, Bastos-Silveira C, Requicha JF. Dental pathology of the wild Iberian wolf ( Canis lupus signatus): The study of a 20 th century Portuguese museum collection. Vet Anim Sci 2020; 9:100100. [PMID: 32734110 PMCID: PMC7386764 DOI: 10.1016/j.vas.2020.100100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2019] [Revised: 02/11/2020] [Accepted: 02/18/2020] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Dental pathology of wild Iberian wolf was studied in 61 complete skulls and 4 mandibles from a museum collection. Museum collections can provide crucial information about wild elusive species. The most frequent observed abnormalities were tooth wear, periodontitis and tooth fractures. Dental radiography is of a great importance for the diagnose and classification of the dental and periodontal conditions. Dental radiography can be useful for the age estimation of archaeological Canis.
For some wild canids, such as the Iberian wolf, there is a lack of in-depth knowledge about dental pathology. We aimed to evaluate it, in a standardized manner, in specimens from a Portuguese museum collection. Sixty-five deceased specimens of wild Iberian wolves, 61 complete skulls and 4 mandibles, collected in Portugal between 1977 and 1995, were analyzed. Sample comprised 18 females, 24 males and 23 individuals of undetermined sex. Teeth were evaluated by visual observation and dental radiography for tooth wear, periodontitis, fractures and other dental lesions. We have found several causes for teeth absence: artefactual, secondary to periodontitis and agenesia. About 30% of the teeth showed signs of wear. Only a small (<13%) fraction of maxillary and mandibular teeth did not show periodontitis. The tooth 308 showed periodontitis in all males (p = 0.017) and the tooth 104 was significantly affected by this condition in females (p = 0.020). A significant relationship was found between females and tooth wear in three teeth. Periodontitis showed a significant association with tooth wear (p < 0.001) and fractures (p = 0.027). Tooth fractures were more frequent in the maxilla than in the mandible. Seven periapical lesions, seven root fusions and three specimens with malocclusion were identified in the collection. Results are discussed integrating information from diet, habitat, genetic and spatial behavior. Dental radiography is here proposed as an approach for the age estimation in archaeological canids. This research contributes to the knowledge of the dental disease in the largest wolf population in Western Europe, a target subspecies of multiple conservation measures.
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Affiliation(s)
- A E Pires
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal
- ArchaeoGenetics group from CIBIO - Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources/InBIO - Research Network in Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Porto, Portugal and Laboratório de Arqueociências (LARC) - Direcção Geral do Património Cultural (DGPC), Lisbon, Portugal
| | - I S Caldeira
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - F Petrucci-Fonseca
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Sciences Faculty, Lisbon University, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - I Viegas
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - C Viegas
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
| | - C Bastos-Silveira
- cE3c - Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Sciences Faculty, Lisbon University, Lisbon, Portugal
- MUHNAC - National Museum of Natural History and Science, University of Lisbon, Portugal
| | - J F Requicha
- Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal
- Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Vila Real, Portugal
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15
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Van Valkenburgh B, Peterson RO, Smith DW, Stahler DR, Vucetich JA. Tooth fracture frequency in gray wolves reflects prey availability. eLife 2019; 8:e48628. [PMID: 31549963 PMCID: PMC6759352 DOI: 10.7554/elife.48628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2019] [Accepted: 08/21/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Exceptionally high rates of tooth fracture in large Pleistocene carnivorans imply intensified interspecific competition, given that tooth fracture rises with increased bone consumption, a behavior that likely occurs when prey are difficult to acquire. To assess the link between prey availability and dental attrition, we documented dental fracture rates over decades among three well-studied populations of extant gray wolves that differed in prey:predator ratio and levels of carcass utilization. When prey:predator ratios declined, kills were more fully consumed, and rates of tooth fracture more than doubled. This supports tooth fracture frequency as a relative measure of the difficulty of acquiring prey, and reveals a rapid response to diminished food levels in large carnivores despite risks of infection and reduced fitness due to dental injuries. More broadly, large carnivore tooth fracture frequency likely reflects energetic stress, an aspect of predator success that is challenging to quantify in wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Blaire Van Valkenburgh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyUniversity of California, Los AngelesLos AngelesUnited States
| | - Rolf O Peterson
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental ScienceMichigan Technological UniversityHoughtonUnited States
| | - Douglas W Smith
- Yellowstone Center for ResourcesNational Park Service, Yellowstone National ParkWyomingUnited States
| | - Daniel R Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for ResourcesNational Park Service, Yellowstone National ParkWyomingUnited States
| | - John A Vucetich
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental ScienceMichigan Technological UniversityHoughtonUnited States
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16
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Robinson JA, Räikkönen J, Vucetich LM, Vucetich JA, Peterson RO, Lohmueller KE, Wayne RK. Genomic signatures of extensive inbreeding in Isle Royale wolves, a population on the threshold of extinction. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2019; 5:eaau0757. [PMID: 31149628 PMCID: PMC6541468 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aau0757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 131] [Impact Index Per Article: 26.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/18/2018] [Accepted: 04/23/2019] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
The observation that small isolated populations often suffer reduced fitness from inbreeding depression has guided conservation theory and practice for decades. However, investigating the genome-wide dynamics associated with inbreeding depression in natural populations is only now feasible with relatively inexpensive sequencing technology and annotated reference genomes. To characterize the genome-wide effects of intense inbreeding and isolation, we performed whole-genome sequencing and morphological analysis of an iconic inbred population, the gray wolves (Canis lupus) of Isle Royale. Through population genetic simulations and comparison with wolf genomes from a variety of demographic histories, we find evidence that severe inbreeding depression in this population is due to increased homozygosity of strongly deleterious recessive mutations. Our results have particular relevance in light of the recent translocation of wolves from the mainland to Isle Royale, as well as broader implications for management of genetic variation in the fragmented landscape of the modern world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacqueline A. Robinson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Corresponding author.
| | - Jannikke Räikkönen
- Department of Environmental Research and Monitoring, Swedish Museum of Natural History, Box 50007, 10405 Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Leah M. Vucetich
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
| | - John A. Vucetich
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, USA
| | - Rolf O. Peterson
- School of Forest Resources and Environmental Science, Michigan Technological University, Houghton, MI 49931, 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
| | - Robert K. Wayne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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17
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Ríos L, Kivell TL, Lalueza-Fox C, Estalrrich A, García-Tabernero A, Huguet R, Quintino Y, de la Rasilla M, Rosas A. Skeletal Anomalies in The Neandertal Family of El Sidrón (Spain) Support A Role of Inbreeding in Neandertal Extinction. Sci Rep 2019; 9:1697. [PMID: 30737446 PMCID: PMC6368597 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-38571-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/23/2018] [Accepted: 12/31/2018] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Neandertals disappeared from the fossil record around 40,000 bp, after a demographic history of small and isolated groups with high but variable levels of inbreeding, and episodes of interbreeding with other Paleolithic hominins. It is reasonable to expect that high levels of endogamy could be expressed in the skeleton of at least some Neandertal groups. Genetic studies indicate that the 13 individuals from the site of El Sidrón, Spain, dated around 49,000 bp, constituted a closely related kin group, making these Neandertals an appropriate case study for the observation of skeletal signs of inbreeding. We present the complete study of the 1674 identified skeletal specimens from El Sidrón. Altogether, 17 congenital anomalies were observed (narrowing of the internal nasal fossa, retained deciduous canine, clefts of the first cervical vertebra, unilateral hypoplasia of the second cervical vertebra, clefting of the twelfth thoracic vertebra, diminutive thoracic or lumbar rib, os centrale carpi and bipartite scaphoid, tripartite patella, left foot anomaly and cuboid-navicular coalition), with at least four individuals presenting congenital conditions (clefts of the first cervical vertebra). At 49,000 years ago, the Neandertals from El Sidrón, with genetic and skeletal evidence of inbreeding, could be representative of the beginning of the demographic collapse of this hominin phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Ríos
- Department of Physical Anthropology, Aranzadi Zientzia Elkartea, Zorroagagaina 11, 20014, Donostia, Gipuzkoa, Basque Country, Spain.
| | - T L Kivell
- Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Marlowe Building, Canterbury, CT2 7NR, UK.,Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, 04103, Germany
| | - C Lalueza-Fox
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology (CSIC-Universitat Pompeu Fabra), Carrer Dr. Aiguader 88, 08003, Barcelona, Spain
| | - A Estalrrich
- Instituto Internacional de Investigaciones Prehistóricas de Cantabria IIIPC (Universidad de Cantabria, Santander, Gobierno de Cantabria), Avda. de los Castros 52, 39005, Santander, Cantabria, Spain
| | - A García-Tabernero
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - R Huguet
- IPHES, Institut Catala de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social, Campus Sescelades URV (Edifici W3), 43007, Tarragona, Spain.,Area de Prehistoria, Universitat Rovira i Virgili, Avda. Catalunya 35, 43002, Tarragona, Spain.,Unidad asociada al CSIC, Departamento de Paleobiología, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales, Calle José Gutierrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain
| | - Y Quintino
- Laboratorio de Evolución Humana, Dpto. de Ciencias Históricas y Geografía, Universidad de Burgos, Edificio I+D+i, Plaza Misael Bañuelos s/n, 09001, Burgos, Spain
| | - M de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, Calle Teniente Alfonso Martínez s/n, 33011, Oviedo, Spain
| | - A Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology. Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN-CSIC), José Gutiérrez Abascal 2, 28006, Madrid, Spain.
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18
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Cossu G, Terrier LM, Destrieux C, Velut S, François P, Zemmoura I, Amelot A. Arcuate foramen: "Anatomical variation shape or adaptation legacy?". Surg Radiol Anat 2019; 41:583-588. [PMID: 30656416 DOI: 10.1007/s00276-019-02186-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2018] [Accepted: 01/11/2019] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE The groove of the vertebral artery on the posterior arch of the atlas (sulcus arteriae vertebralis) may become a complete or partial osseous foramen: the arcuate foramen. The presence of a complete or partial arcuate foramen is a rare anatomical variant described in a minority of patients and it seems to be associated with vertigo, vertebro-basilar insufficiency, posterior circulation strokes, and musculoskeletal pain. As the number and morphology of cervical vertebrae is highly preserved, we questioned about its significance from an evolutionary point of view. We thus investigated through an extensive literature review if the arcuate foramen is a pure anatomical variation shape or if it might represent an adaptation legacy. METHODS We observed five atlas of an extinct species, the Late Pleistocene Mammoths (M. primigenius), and we compared them with five atlas of a closely related existent species, the African elephant (L. africana). RESULTS All the mammoths' atlas had an arcuate foramen through which the vertebral artery passed before turning anteriorly and becoming intradural. This foramen was not present in elephants' atlas, where only a groove was observed, such as in the majority of patients. CONCLUSION We would like to raise the hypothesis that this peculiar morphology of mammoths' atlas might have contributed, in association with other factors, to their precocious extinction and that the arcuate foramen might represent a disadvantage in the evolutionary process, with a low prevalence in humans being the result of a natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Giulia Cossu
- Department of Neurosurgery, Bretonneau University Hospital, Tonnellé Boulevard 2, Tours, France.,Department of Neurosurgery, Lausanne University Hospital, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Louis-Marie Terrier
- Department of Neurosurgery, Bretonneau University Hospital, Tonnellé Boulevard 2, Tours, France
| | - Christophe Destrieux
- Department of Neurosurgery, Bretonneau University Hospital, Tonnellé Boulevard 2, Tours, France
| | - Stephane Velut
- Department of Neurosurgery, Bretonneau University Hospital, Tonnellé Boulevard 2, Tours, France
| | - Patrick François
- Department of Neurosurgery, Bretonneau University Hospital, Tonnellé Boulevard 2, Tours, France
| | - Ilyess Zemmoura
- Department of Neurosurgery, Bretonneau University Hospital, Tonnellé Boulevard 2, Tours, France
| | - Aymeric Amelot
- Department of Neurosurgery, Bretonneau University Hospital, Tonnellé Boulevard 2, Tours, France. .,Department of Neurosurgery, La Pitié-Salpétrière University Hospital, Paris, France.
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19
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Cairns KM, Shannon LM, Koler-Matznick J, Ballard JWO, Boyko AR. Elucidating biogeographical patterns in Australian native canids using genome wide SNPs. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0198754. [PMID: 29889854 PMCID: PMC5995383 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0198754] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/11/2017] [Accepted: 05/24/2018] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Dingoes play a strong role in Australia's ecological framework as the apex predator but are under threat from hybridization and agricultural control programs. Government legislation lists the conservation of the dingo as an important aim, yet little is known about the biogeography of this enigmatic canine, making conservation difficult. Mitochondrial and Y chromosome DNA studies show evidence of population structure within the dingo. Here, we present the data from Illumina HD canine chip genotyping for 23 dingoes from five regional populations, and five New Guinea Singing Dogs to further explore patterns of biogeography using genome-wide data. Whole genome single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data supported the presence of three distinct dingo populations (or ESUs) subject to geographical subdivision: southeastern (SE), Fraser Island (FI) and northwestern (NW). These ESUs should be managed discretely. The FI dingoes are a known reservoir of pure, genetically distinct dingoes. Elevated inbreeding coefficients identified here suggest this population may be genetically compromised and in need of rescue; current lethal management strategies that do not consider genetic information should be suspended until further data can be gathered. D statistics identify evidence of historical admixture or ancestry sharing between southeastern dingoes and South East Asian village dogs. Conservation efforts on mainland Australia should focus on the SE dingo population that is under pressure from domestic dog hybridization and high levels of lethal control. Further data concerning the genetic health, demographics and prevalence of hybridization in the SE and FI dingo populations is urgently needed to develop evidence based conservation and management strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kylie M. Cairns
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- * E-mail: ,
| | - Laura M. Shannon
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
| | - Janice Koler-Matznick
- The New Guinea Singing Dog Conservation Society, Central Point, Oregon, United States of America
| | - J. William O. Ballard
- School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Adam R. Boyko
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States of America
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20
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Muñoz-Fuentes V, Cacheiro P, Meehan TF, Aguilar-Pimentel JA, Brown SDM, Flenniken AM, Flicek P, Galli A, Mashhadi HH, Hrabě de Angelis M, Kim JK, Lloyd KCK, McKerlie C, Morgan H, Murray SA, Nutter LMJ, Reilly PT, Seavitt JR, Seong JK, Simon M, Wardle-Jones H, Mallon AM, Smedley D, Parkinson HE. The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC): a functional catalogue of the mammalian genome that informs conservation. CONSERV GENET 2018; 19:995-1005. [PMID: 30100824 PMCID: PMC6061128 DOI: 10.1007/s10592-018-1072-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2017] [Accepted: 05/03/2018] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
The International Mouse Phenotyping Consortium (IMPC) is building a catalogue of mammalian gene function by producing and phenotyping a knockout mouse line for every protein-coding gene. To date, the IMPC has generated and characterised 5186 mutant lines. One-third of the lines have been found to be non-viable and over 300 new mouse models of human disease have been identified thus far. While current bioinformatics efforts are focused on translating results to better understand human disease processes, IMPC data also aids understanding genetic function and processes in other species. Here we show, using gorilla genomic data, how genes essential to development in mice can be used to help assess the potentially deleterious impact of gene variants in other species. This type of analyses could be used to select optimal breeders in endangered species to maintain or increase fitness and avoid variants associated to impaired-health phenotypes or loss-of-function mutations in genes of critical importance. We also show, using selected examples from various mammal species, how IMPC data can aid in the identification of candidate genes for studying a condition of interest, deliver information about the mechanisms involved, or support predictions for the function of genes that may play a role in adaptation. With genotyping costs decreasing and the continued improvements of bioinformatics tools, the analyses we demonstrate can be routinely applied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violeta Muñoz-Fuentes
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD UK
| | - Pilar Cacheiro
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ UK
| | - Terrence F. Meehan
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD UK
| | - Juan Antonio Aguilar-Pimentel
- German Mouse Clinic, Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
| | - Steve D. M. Brown
- Medical Research Council Harwell Institute (Mammalian Genetics Unit and Mary Lyon Centre), Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD UK
| | - Ann M. Flenniken
- The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, ON M5T 3H7 Canada
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5 Canada
| | - Paul Flicek
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD UK
| | | | - Hamed Haseli Mashhadi
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD UK
| | - Martin Hrabě de Angelis
- German Mouse Clinic, Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
- School of Life Science Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Alte Akademie 8, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Jong Kyoung Kim
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, 42988 Republic of Korea
| | - K. C. Kent Lloyd
- Mouse Biology Program, University of California, Davis, CA 95618 USA
| | - Colin McKerlie
- The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, ON M5T 3H7 Canada
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5 Canada
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X84 Canada
| | - Hugh Morgan
- Medical Research Council Harwell Institute (Mammalian Genetics Unit and Mary Lyon Centre), Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD UK
| | | | - Lauryl M. J. Nutter
- The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, ON M5T 3H7 Canada
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X84 Canada
| | - Patrick T. Reilly
- PHENOMIN-iCS, 1 Rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, Alsace France
| | - John R. Seavitt
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030 USA
| | - Je Kyung Seong
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Genomics, College of Veterinary Medicine, Interdisciplinary Program for Bioinformatics and Program for Cancer Biology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
| | - Michelle Simon
- Medical Research Council Harwell Institute (Mammalian Genetics Unit and Mary Lyon Centre), Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD UK
| | | | - Ann-Marie Mallon
- Medical Research Council Harwell Institute (Mammalian Genetics Unit and Mary Lyon Centre), Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD UK
| | - Damian Smedley
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ UK
| | - Helen E. Parkinson
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD UK
| | - the IMPC consortium
- European Molecular Biology Laboratory, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI), Wellcome Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambridge, CB10 1SD UK
- Clinical Pharmacology, William Harvey Research Institute, School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London, EC1M 6BQ UK
- German Mouse Clinic, Institute of Experimental Genetics, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Ingolstädter Landstrasse 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
- Medical Research Council Harwell Institute (Mammalian Genetics Unit and Mary Lyon Centre), Harwell, Oxfordshire OX11 0RD UK
- The Centre for Phenogenomics, Toronto, ON M5T 3H7 Canada
- Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, ON M5G 1X5 Canada
- Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Cambridge, CB10 1SA UK
- German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD), Ingolstädter Landstr. 1, 85764 Neuherberg, Germany
- School of Life Science Weihenstephan, Technische Universität München, Alte Akademie 8, 85354 Freising, Germany
- Department of New Biology, DGIST, Daegu, 42988 Republic of Korea
- Mouse Biology Program, University of California, Davis, CA 95618 USA
- The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, ON M5G 1X84 Canada
- The Jackson Laboratory, Bar Harbor, ME 04609 USA
- PHENOMIN-iCS, 1 Rue Laurent Fries, 67404 Illkirch Cedex, Alsace France
- Department of Molecular and Human Genetics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030 USA
- Laboratory of Developmental Biology and Genomics, College of Veterinary Medicine, Interdisciplinary Program for Bioinformatics and Program for Cancer Biology, Seoul National University, Seoul, Republic of Korea
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Dental and Temporomandibular Joint Pathology of the Grey Wolf (Canis lupus). J Comp Pathol 2018; 160:56-70. [PMID: 29729722 DOI: 10.1016/j.jcpa.2018.03.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/01/2018] [Revised: 01/30/2018] [Accepted: 03/07/2018] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Skulls from 392 grey wolves (Canis lupus) were examined macroscopically according to predefined criteria. Two hundred and seven skulls were included in this study, comprised of 124 young adults (59.9%) and 83 adults (40.1%); of these, 65 (31.4%) specimens were from male wolves and 104 (50.3%) were from females, with 38 (18.4%) of unknown sex. Out of 8,694 possible teeth, 8,339 (95.9%) were present for evaluation. Fifty-five teeth (15.5%) were absent congenitally, 30 (8.5%) were lost during life and 270 (76.1%) were lost artefactually post mortem. Skeletal or dental malocclusion was present in 37 specimens (17.9%), with level bite being the most commonly encountered malocclusion. Enamel hypoplasia was present in five skulls (2.4%), affecting eight teeth (0.1%) in total. An abnormal number of roots was found on 23 teeth (0.3%) on 13 skulls (6.3%). Persistent deciduous teeth occurred in two (1.0%) specimens, affecting one (0.01%) tooth each. Fenestration or dehiscence was found associated with 203 teeth (2.4%) in 72 skulls (34.8%). Periodontitis was noted on 115 skulls (55.6%) and 1,000 teeth (11.5%), affecting significantly more adults (n = 63, 75.0%) than young adults (n = 52, 41.9%; P <0.0001). One hundred and sixty-one skulls (77.8%) showed signs of endodontal disease, including attrition or abrasion on 144 skulls (69.6%) and 2,522 teeth (30.2%) and 424 fractured teeth (5.1%) on 103 skulls (49.8%). Both lesions affected significantly more adults than young adults. Overt periapical disease was associated with six teeth (0.1%) distributed across five skulls (2.4%). A carious lesion was present on one tooth (0.01%) of one specimen (0.5%). Lesions consistent with temporomandibular joint (TMJ) osteoarthritis were found in 24 specimens (11.6%), affecting 38 joints (9.2%). Trauma to the skull, such as bite marks, bullet holes or blunt trauma, was noted in 44 skulls (21.2%). The grey wolf and the domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) share common dental diseases; however, the proportion and severity may vary. Although the clinical significance of dental and TMJ pathology in the grey wolf remains unknown, based on the impact of these disorders on the domestic dog, the occurrence and severity of these lesions are likely to play an important role in the morbidity and mortality of this wild canid species.
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Kivell TL, Rosas A, Estalrrich A, Huguet R, García-Tabernero A, Ríos L, de la Rasilla M. New Neandertal wrist bones from El Sidrón, Spain (1994-2009). J Hum Evol 2017; 114:45-75. [PMID: 29447761 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2017.09.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2017] [Revised: 09/12/2017] [Accepted: 09/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Twenty-nine carpal bones of Homo neanderthalensis have been recovered from the site of El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) during excavations between 1994 and 2009, alongside ∼2500 other Neandertal skeletal elements dated to ∼49,000 years ago. All bones of the wrist are represented, including adult scaphoids (n = 6), lunates (n = 2), triquetra (n = 4), pisiforms (n = 2), trapezia (n = 2), trapezoids (n = 5), capitates (n = 5), and hamates (n = 2), as well as one fragmentary and possibly juvenile scaphoid. Several of these carpals appear to belong to the complete right wrist of a single individual. Here we provide qualitative and quantitative morphological descriptions of these carpals, within a comparative context of other European and Near Eastern Neandertals, early and recent Homo sapiens, and other fossil hominins, including Homo antecessor, Homo naledi, and australopiths. Overall, the El Sidrón carpals show characteristics that typically distinguish Neandertals from H. sapiens, such as a relatively flat first metacarpal facet on the trapezium and a more laterally oriented second metacarpal facet on the capitate. However, there are some distinctive features of the El Sidrón carpals compared with most other Neandertals. For example, the tubercle of the trapezium is small with limited projection, while the scaphoid tubercle and hamate hamulus are among the largest seen in other Neandertals. Furthermore, three of the six adult scaphoids show a distinctive os-centrale portion, while another is a bipartite scaphoid with a truncated tubercle. The high frequency of rare carpal morphologies supports other evidence of a close genetic relationship among the Neandertals found at El Sidrón.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tracy L Kivell
- Animal Postcranial Evolution (APE) Lab, Skeletal Biology Research Centre, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, UK; Department of Human Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - Antonio Rosas
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Almudena Estalrrich
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain; Department of Paleoanthropology, Senckenberg Research Institute and Natural History Museum Frankfurt, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Rosa Huguet
- Institut Català de Paleoecologia Humana i Evolució Social-Unidad Asociada al CSIC, Tarragona, Spain
| | - Antonio García-Tabernero
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Luis Ríos
- Paleoanthropology Group, Department of Paleobiology, Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN)-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC), Madrid, Spain
| | - Marco de la Rasilla
- Área de Prehistoria Departamento de Historia, Universidad de Oviedo, Oviedo, Spain
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van der Geer AAE, Galis F. High incidence of cervical ribs indicates vulnerable condition in Late Pleistocene woolly rhinoceroses. PeerJ 2017; 5:e3684. [PMID: 28875067 PMCID: PMC5580387 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.3684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2017] [Accepted: 07/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammals as a rule have seven cervical vertebrae, a number that remains remarkably constant. Changes of this number are associated with major congenital abnormalities (pleiotropic effects) that are, at least in humans, strongly selected against. Recently, it was found that Late Pleistocene mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) from the North Sea have an unusually high incidence of abnormal cervical vertebral numbers, approximately ten times higher than that of extant elephants. Abnormal numbers were due to the presence of large cervical ribs on the seventh vertebra, indicating a homeotic change from a cervical rib-less vertebra into a thoracic rib-bearing vertebra. The high incidence of cervical ribs indicates a vulnerable condition and is thought to be due to inbreeding and adverse conditions that may have impacted early pregnancies in declining populations. In this study we investigated the incidence of cervical ribs in another extinct Late Pleistocene megaherbivore from the North Sea and the Netherlands, the woolly rhinoceros (Coelodonta antiquitatis). We show that the incidence of abnormal cervical vertebral numbers in the woolly rhinoceros is unusually high for mammals (15,6%, n = 32) and much higher than in extant Rhinoceratidae (0%, n = 56). This indicates that woolly rhinoceros lived under vulnerable conditions, just like woolly mammoths. The vulnerable condition may well have contributed to their eventual extinction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra A E van der Geer
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.,Department of Geology and Geoenvironment, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Zografou, Greece
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Åkesson M, Liberg O, Sand H, Wabakken P, Bensch S, Flagstad Ø. Genetic rescue in a severely inbred wolf population. Mol Ecol 2016; 25:4745-56. [PMID: 27497431 PMCID: PMC5054837 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13797] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2016] [Revised: 07/14/2016] [Accepted: 07/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Natural populations are becoming increasingly fragmented which is expected to affect their viability due to inbreeding depression, reduced genetic diversity and increased sensitivity to demographic and environmental stochasticity. In small and highly inbred populations, the introduction of only a few immigrants may increase vital rates significantly. However, very few studies have quantified the long-term success of immigrants and inbred individuals in natural populations. Following an episode of natural immigration to the isolated, severely inbred Scandinavian wolf (Canis lupus) population, we demonstrate significantly higher pairing and breeding success for offspring to immigrants compared to offspring from native, inbred pairs. We argue that inbreeding depression is the underlying mechanism for the profound difference in breeding success. Highly inbred wolves may have lower survival during natal dispersal as well as competitive disadvantage to find a partner. Our study is one of the first to quantify and compare the reproductive success of first-generation offspring from migrants vs. native, inbred individuals in a natural population. Indeed, our data demonstrate the profound impact single immigrants can have in small, inbred populations, and represent one of very few documented cases of genetic rescue in a population of large carnivores.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mikael Åkesson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Riddarhyttan, SE-730 91, Sweden.
| | - Olof Liberg
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Riddarhyttan, SE-730 91, Sweden
| | - Håkan Sand
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Riddarhyttan, SE-730 91, Sweden
| | - Petter Wabakken
- Department of Applied Ecology and Agricultural Sciences, Hedmark University College, Evenstad, NO-2480, Norway
| | - Staffan Bensch
- Department of Biology, Lund University, Box 118, Lund, SE-221 00, Sweden
| | - Øystein Flagstad
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Sluppen, Trondheim, NO-7485, Norway
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Laikre L, Olsson F, Jansson E, Hössjer O, Ryman N. Metapopulation effective size and conservation genetic goals for the Fennoscandian wolf (Canis lupus) population. Heredity (Edinb) 2016; 117:279-89. [PMID: 27328654 PMCID: PMC5026756 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2016.44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/14/2015] [Revised: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
The Scandinavian wolf population descends from only five individuals, is isolated, highly inbred and exhibits inbreeding depression. To meet international conservation goals, suggestions include managing subdivided wolf populations over Fennoscandia as a metapopulation; a genetically effective population size of Ne⩾500, in line with the widely accepted long-term genetic viability target, might be attainable with gene flow among subpopulations of Scandinavia, Finland and Russian parts of Fennoscandia. Analytical means for modeling Ne of subdivided populations under such non-idealized situations have been missing, but we recently developed new mathematical methods for exploring inbreeding dynamics and effective population size of complex metapopulations. We apply this theory to the Fennoscandian wolves using empirical estimates of demographic parameters. We suggest that the long-term conservation genetic target for metapopulations should imply that inbreeding rates in the total system and in the separate subpopulations should not exceed Δf=0.001. This implies a meta-Ne of NeMeta⩾500 and a realized effective size of each subpopulation of NeRx⩾500. With current local effective population sizes and one migrant per generation, as recommended by management guidelines, the meta-Ne that can be reached is ~250. Unidirectional gene flow from Finland to Scandinavia reduces meta-Ne to ~130. Our results indicate that both local subpopulation effective sizes and migration among subpopulations must increase substantially from current levels to meet the conservation target. Alternatively, immigration from a large (Ne⩾500) population in northwestern Russia could support the Fennoscandian metapopulation, but immigration must be substantial (5–10 effective immigrants per generation) and migration among Fennoscandian subpopulations must nevertheless increase.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Laikre
- Department of Zoology, Division of Population Genetics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - F Olsson
- Department of Mathematics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - E Jansson
- Department of Zoology, Division of Population Genetics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - O Hössjer
- Department of Mathematics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - N Ryman
- Department of Zoology, Division of Population Genetics, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
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26
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Genetic contribution from a zoo population can increase genetic variation in the highly inbred wild Swedish wolf population. CONSERV GENET 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-015-0738-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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Possible Further Evidence of Low Genetic Diversity in the El Sidrón (Asturias, Spain) Neandertal Group: Congenital Clefts of the Atlas. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0136550. [PMID: 26418427 PMCID: PMC4587856 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0136550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2015] [Accepted: 08/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
We present here the first cases in Neandertals of congenital clefts of the arch of the atlas. Two atlases from El Sidrón, northern Spain, present respectively a defect of the posterior (frequency in extant modern human populations ranging from 0.73% to 3.84%), and anterior (frequency in extant modern human populations ranging from 0.087% to 0.1%) arch, a condition in most cases not associated with any clinical manifestation. The fact that two out of three observable atlases present a low frequency congenital condition, together with previously reported evidence of retained deciduous mandibular canine in two out of ten dentitions from El Sidrón, supports the previous observation based on genetic evidence that these Neandertals constituted a group with close genetic relations. Some have proposed for humans and other species that the presence of skeletal congenital conditions, although without clinical significance, could be used as a signal of endogamy or inbreeding. In the present case this interpretation would fit the general scenario of high incidence of rare conditions among Pleistocene humans and the specific scenariothat emerges from Neandertal paleogenetics, which points to long-term small and decreasing population size with reduced and isolated groups. Adverse environmental factors affecting early pregnancies would constitute an alternative, non-exclusive, explanation for a high incidence of congenital conditions. Further support or rejection of these interpretations will come from new genetic and skeletal evidence from Neandertal remains.
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A new general analytical approach for modeling patterns of genetic differentiation and effective size of subdivided populations over time. Math Biosci 2014; 258:113-33. [PMID: 25445736 DOI: 10.1016/j.mbs.2014.10.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2013] [Revised: 09/09/2014] [Accepted: 10/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Abstract
The main purpose of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework for assessing effective population size and genetic divergence in situations with structured populations that consist of various numbers of more or less interconnected subpopulations. We introduce a general infinite allele model for a diploid, monoecious and subdivided population, with subpopulation sizes varying over time, including local subpopulation extinction and recolonization, bottlenecks, cyclic census size changes or exponential growth. Exact matrix analytic formulas are derived for recursions of predicted (expected) gene identities and gene diversities, identity by descent and coalescence probabilities, and standardized variances of allele frequency change. This enables us to compute and put into a general framework a number of different types of genetically effective population sizes (Ne) including variance, inbreeding, nucleotide diversity, and eigenvalue effective size. General expressions for predictions (gST) of the coefficient of gene differentiation GST are also derived. We suggest that in order to adequately describe important properties of a subdivided population with respect to allele frequency change and maintenance of genetic variation over time, single values of gST and Ne are not enough. Rather, the temporal dynamic patterns of these properties are important to consider. We introduce several schemes for weighting subpopulations that enable effective size and expected genetic divergence to be calculated and described as functions of time, globally for the whole population and locally for any group of subpopulations. The traditional concept of effective size is generalized to situations where genetic drift is confounded by external sources, such as immigration and mutation. Finally, we introduce a general methodology for state space reduction, which greatly decreases the computational complexity of the matrix analytic formulas.
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29
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Craniomandibular trauma and tooth loss in northern dogs and wolves: implications for the archaeological study of dog husbandry and domestication. PLoS One 2014; 9:e99746. [PMID: 24941003 PMCID: PMC4062439 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0099746] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2014] [Accepted: 05/19/2014] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Archaeological dog remains from many areas clearly show that these animals suffered tooth fractures, tooth loss, trauma, and dental defects during their lives. Relatively little research has explored the meanings of these patterns, particularly for ancient dog remains from small-scale societies of the North. One limiting issue is the lack of comparative data on dental health and experiences of trauma among northern wolves and dogs. This paper examines tooth loss, tooth fracture, enamel hypoplasia, and cranial trauma in a large sample of historic dog and wolf remains from North America and Northern Russia. The data indicate that the dogs more commonly experienced tooth loss and tooth fracture than the wolves, despite reportedly being fed mostly soft foods such as blubber and fish. The higher rates observed in the dogs likely is a result of food stress and self-provisioning through scavenging. The ability to self-provision was likely important for the long-term history of dog use in the north. Dogs also more commonly experienced cranial fractures than wolves, particularly depression fractures on their frontal bones, which were likely the result of blows from humans. Hypoplastic lesions are rare in both wolves and dogs, and probably result from multiple causes, including food stress, disease, and trauma.
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30
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Reumer JWF, Ten Broek CMA, Galis F. Extraordinary incidence of cervical ribs indicates vulnerable condition in Late Pleistocene mammoths. PeerJ 2014; 2:e318. [PMID: 24711969 PMCID: PMC3970796 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2014] [Accepted: 03/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The number of cervical vertebrae in mammals is highly conserved at seven. We have shown that changes of this number are selected against due to a coupling with major congenital abnormalities (pleiotropic effects). Here we show that the incidence of abnormal cervical vertebral numbers in Late Pleistocene mammoths from the North Sea is high (33.3%) and approximately 10 times higher than that of extant elephants (3.6%). Abnormal numbers were due to the presence of large cervical ribs on the seventh vertebra, which we deduced from the presence of rib articulation facets on sixth (posterior side) and seventh (anterior side) cervical vertebrae. The incidence of abnormal cervical vertebral numbers in mammoths appears to be much higher than in other mammalian species, apart from exceptional sloths, manatees and dugongs and indicates a vulnerable condition. We argue that the increased incidence of cervical ribs in mammoths is probably caused by inbreeding and adverse conditions that impact early pregnancies in declining populations close to extinction in the Late Pleistocene.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jelle W F Reumer
- Natural History Museum , Rotterdam , The Netherlands ; Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University , Utrecht , The Netherlands
| | - Clara M A Ten Broek
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Terrestrial Zoology/Geology , Leiden , The Netherlands ; University Antwerp, Evolutionary Ecology Group , Antwerp , Belgium
| | - Frietson Galis
- Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Terrestrial Zoology/Geology , Leiden , The Netherlands
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