Genetic footprint of population fragmentation and contemporary collapse in a freshwater cetacean

Scientific Reports
Minmin ChenDing Wang

Abstract

Understanding demographic trends and patterns of gene flow in an endangered species is crucial for devising conservation strategies. Here, we examined the extent of population structure and recent evolution of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). By analysing genetic variation at the mitochondrial and nuclear microsatellite loci for 148 individuals, we identified three populations along the Yangtze River, each one connected to a group of admixed ancestry. Each population displayed extremely low genetic diversity, consistent with extremely small effective size (≤92 individuals). Habitat degradation and distribution gaps correlated with highly asymmetric gene-flow that was inefficient in maintaining connectivity between populations. Genetic inferences of historical demography revealed that the populations in the Yangtze descended from a small number of founders colonizing the river from the sea during the last Ice Age. The colonization was followed by a rapid population split during the last millennium predating the Chinese Modern Economy Development. However, genetic diversity showed a clear footprint of population contraction over the last 50 years leaving only ~2% of...Continue Reading

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Citations

Aug 27, 2021·Frontiers in Plant Science·Francesco MercatiFrancesco Sunseri

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Methods Mentioned

BETA
PCA
genotyping
PCR

Software Mentioned

CLUMPAK
adegenet
GenAlEx
script
DNAsp
ABC
FSTAT
LDA
ADZE
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