International agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have committed to conserve, and sustainably and equitably use, biodiversity. The CBD is a vital instrument for global ...conservation because it guides 195 countries and the European Union in setting priorities and allocating resources, and requires regular reporting on progress. However, the CBD and similar policy agreements have often neglected genetic diversity. This is a critical gap because genetic diversity underlies adaptation to environmental change and ecosystem resilience. Here we aim to inform future policy, monitoring, and reporting efforts focused on limiting biodiversity loss by conducting the largest yet evaluation of how Parties to the CBD report on genetic diversity. A large, globally representative sample of 114 CBD National Reports was examined to assess reported actions, progress, values and indicators related to genetic diversity. Although the importance of genetic diversity is recognized by most Parties to the CBD, genetic diversity targets mainly addressed variation within crops and livestock (a small fraction of all species). Reported actions to conserve genetic diversity primarily concerned ex situ facilities and legislation, rather than monitoring and in situ intervention. The most commonly reported status indicators are not well correlated to maintaining genetic diversity. Lastly, few reports mentioned genetic monitoring using DNA data, indigenous use and knowledge of genetic diversity, or development of strategies to conserve genetic diversity. We make several recommendations for the post-2020 CBD Biodiversity Framework, and similar efforts such as IPBES, to improve awareness, assessment, and monitoring of genetic diversity, and facilitate consistent and complete reporting in the future.
•We assessed genetic diversity in reports to the Convention on Biological Diversity•Countries recognize diverse values of, and threats to, genetic diversity•Most countries neglect to monitor or develop strategies for genetic diversity•Many countries focus on ex situ genetic conservation, neglecting in situ actions•Many countries use insufficient indicators and focus strongly on domesticated species
Molecular tools are increasingly applied for assessing and monitoring biodiversity and informing conservation action. While recent developments in genetic and genomic methods provide greater ...sensitivity in analysis and the capacity to address new questions, they are not equally available to all practitioners: There is considerable bias across institutions and countries in access to technologies, funding, and training. Consequently, in many cases, more accessible traditional genetic data (e.g., microsatellites) are still utilized for making conservation decisions. Conservation approaches need to be pragmatic by tackling clearly defined management questions and using the most appropriate methods available, while maximizing the use of limited resources. Here we present some key questions to consider when applying the molecular toolbox for accessible and actionable conservation management. Finally, we highlight a number of important steps to be addressed in a collaborative way, which can facilitate the broad integration of molecular data into conservation.
Molecular tools are increasingly applied in conservation management; however, they are not equally available to all practitioners. We here provide key questions when establishing a conservation genetic study and highlight important steps which need to be addressed when these tools are globally applied.
Wildlife ranching including the hunting, collection, sales and husbandry of wild animals in captivity, is practised worldwide and is advocated as an approach towards the conservation of wild species. ...While many authors have explored the biological impacts of intensive wild population management, primarily with respect to disease transmission (especially in ungulates and fish), the evolutionary and demographic effects of wildlife ranching have been examined less intensively. We discuss this issue through the case of intensive wildlife management in southern Africa. The genetic consequences of this global practice, with an emphasis on Africa, were addressed by a motion passed at the 2016 IUCN World Congress- ‘Management and regulation of intensive breeding and genetic manipulation of large mammals for commercial purposes’. Here, we highlight concerns regarding intensive breeding programs used to discover, enhance and propagate unusual physical traits, hereafter referred to as ‘Intentional Genetic Manipulation’. We highlight how ‘Intentional Genetic Manipulation’ potentially threatens the viability of native species and ecosystems, via genetic erosion, inbreeding, hybridisation and unregulated translocation. Finally, we discuss the need for better policies in southern Africa and globally, regarding ‘Intentional Genetic Manipulation’, and the identification of key knowledge gaps.
Reliable delimitation and identification of species is central not only to systematics, but also to studies of biodiversity, ecology and pest management. In the era of Internet‐based biodiversity ...databases misidentifications are rapidly disseminated and may have far‐reaching consequences. Leafhoppers from the genus Aphrodes (Hemiptera, Cicadellidae) are common and abundant, but, nevertheless, they are still a taxonomically challenging group whose members are often assessed in ecological studies and are also potential vectors of plant diseases. Previous study has shown that the syntype series for A. aestuarina (Edwards) includes also specimens of A. makarovi Zachvatkin and has suggested that misidentifications may be widespread in museum collections. We studied Aphrodes individuals collected from the U.K. and Slovenia in order to provide a more comprehensive analysis of this genus using multiple criteria. Combined work using male and female vibrational signals emitted during courtship, and a 600‐bp fragment within the barcoding region of the COI mtDNA gene, provided validated specimens that we also used for morphometric study. Analyses confirmed A. aestuarina, A. bicincta, A. diminuta and A. makarovi as behaviourally, genetically and morphologically distinct species. Although any of these approaches could be used alone to distinguish between species, combining morphological and molecular approaches will help to improve reliability, especially when identifying females. Morphological investigation of validated individuals from the U.K. and Slovenia also revealed geographic differences within species. By combining several body and aedeagus morphological characters males can be reliably identified, however, morphological differences between species are, nevertheless, relatively small. By contrast, observed genetic distances between Aphrodes species are relatively large (4.2–7.0%). At about half of our collecting sites more than one Aphrodes species was found and A. makarovi was collected together with every other species, including A. aestuarina on tidal saltmarshes. Due to low morphological variation between syntopic congeners it is likely that many museum specimens of Aphrodes have been assigned to the wrong species and species identification in ecological and vector studies may also be questionable.
Delineating conservation units is a complex and often controversial process that is particularly challenging for highly vagile species. Here, we reassess population genetic structure and identify ...those populations of highest conservation value in the threatened snowy plover (
Charadrius nivosus,
Cassin, 1858), a partial migrant shorebird endemic to the Americas. We use four categories of genetic data—mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), microsatellites, Z-linked and autosomal single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)—to: (1) assess subspecies delineation and examine population structure (2) compare the sensitivity of the different types of genetic data to detect spatial genetic patterns, and (3) reconstruct demographic history of the populations analysed. Delineation of two traditionally recognised subspecies was broadly supported by all data. In addition, microsatellite and SNPs but not mtDNA supported the recognition of Caribbean snowy plovers (
C. n. tenuirostris
) and Floridian populations (eastern
C. n. nivosus
) as distinct genetic lineage and deme, respectively. Low migration rates estimated from autosomal SNPs (
m
< 0.03) reflect a general paucity of exchange between genetic lineages. In contrast, we detected strong unidirectional migration (
m
= 0.26) from the western into the eastern
nivosus
deme. Within western
nivosus,
we found no genetic differentiation between coastal Pacific and inland populations. The correlation between geographic and genetic distances was weak but significant for all genetic data sets. All demes showed signatures of bottlenecks occurring during the past 1000 years. We conclude that at least four snowy plover conservation units are warranted: in addition to subspecies
nivosus
and
occidentalis,
a third unit comprises the Caribbean
tenuirostris
lineage and a fourth unit the distinct eastern
nivosus
deme.
Understanding genetic structure and diversity underpins the management of isolated populations. Small populations confined to islands may require effective genetic management for population ...persistence due to inbreeding and reduced genetic diversity. Endemic to the offshore islands of mainland Mauritius, the Bojer’s skink (
Gongylomorphus bojerii
) has previously been managed as two genetic units due to divergence between populations to the north and south-east. In 2009, a few individuals were discovered on the south-eastern island Ile de la Passe (IDLP), an island within its former range where the species was believed to have gone extinct. This island was later supplemented with translocations from other south-eastern islands, but individual geographic origin and the genetic consequences of these translocations remains unknown. Demographic population history and translocation events were reconstructed using a suite of microsatellite markers and the mitochondrial DNA cytochrome
b
gene, assessing two northern and three south-eastern populations to infer the geographic origin of the IDLP individuals, and to assess the population’s genetic diversity and structure. Although IDLP showed significant differentiation from all other populations, all analyses indicated a south-eastern origin, possibly founded by a single gravid female. Subsequent translocations have so far failed to ameliorate IDLP’s genetic diversity. In addition, admixture analysis was used to track translocation and gene-flow in IDLP. We recommend using additional translocations from other south-eastern islands to further genetically support IDLP. Our study highlights the need to clarify cryptic population structure and utilise post-translocation genetic monitoring among similarly managed populations, particularly endangered island populations.
The subfamily Aphrodinae (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) contains ~33 species in Europe within four genera. Species in two genera in particular,
and
, have proved to be difficult to distinguish ...morphologically. Our aim was to determine the status of the putative species
, found only on the RSPB Nature Reserve at Dungeness, Kent, a possible rare UK endemic. DNA from samples of all seven UK
species (plus
from the Czech Republic) were sequenced using parts of the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I and 16S rRNA genes. Bayesian inference phylogenies were created. Specimens of each species clustered into monophyletic groups, except for
,
and
. Two
specimens grouped with
repeatedly with strong support, and the remaining
clustered within
. Genetic distances suggest that
and
are a single interbreeding population (0% divergence), while
and
diverged by only 0.28%. Shared haplotypes between
,
and
strongly suggest interbreeding, although misidentification may also explain these topologies. However, all
clustered together in the trees. A conservative approach might be to treat
, until other evidence is forthcoming, as a possible endemic subspecies.
Celotno besedilo
Dostopno za:
DOBA, IZUM, KILJ, NUK, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, UILJ, UKNU, UL, UM, UPUK
Critically endangered Hooded Vultures (Necrosyrtes monachus Temminck, 1823), like many vulture species globally, are experiencing rapid population declines due to anthropogenic factors such as ...poisonings, human persecution, trading for belief-based use, and habitat loss/degradation. The Hooded Vulture is widespread across sub-Saharan Africa. Although it is considered one of the most abundant vultures in West Africa, this vulture species is less common in East and southern Africa, with the population at the southern-most edge of the distribution (in South Africa and Eswatini) estimated at only 100–200 mature individuals. The distribution of Hooded Vultures has contracted dramatically in southern Africa, with breeding populations largely confined to protected areas such as the Greater Kruger National Park. This study aimed to investigate the genetic diversity of the southern African range-edge population and assess if the recent contraction in the distribution has resulted in the population experiencing a genetic bottleneck. Sixteen microsatellite loci were amplified for samples collected along the Olifants River in the Greater Kruger National Park (n = 30). The genetic diversity in the South African population was compared to samples (n = 30) collected in Ghana, where Hooded Vultures are more abundant. Contrary to expectations, the South African peripheral Hooded Vulture population showed higher levels of heterozygosity (HO = 0.495) than the Ghanaian population (HO = 0.315). Neither population showed signs of recent bottleneck events when tested using demographic modelling and Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC). However, both populations showed high levels of inbreeding and relatedness. Our results suggest that despite being a small peripheral population, the South African Hooded Vulture population showed a similar level of genetic diversity as individuals sampled from a core population within the species distribution (in Ghana). This study supports the need for Hooded Vulture conservation efforts in the southern African region and highlights the evolutionary importance of range-edge populations.
Domestic cats were derived from the Near Eastern wildcat (Felis lybica), after which they dispersed with people into Europe. As they did so, it is possible that they interbred with the indigenous ...population of European wildcats (Felis silvestris). Gene flow between incoming domestic animals and closely related indigenous wild species has been previously demonstrated in other taxa, including pigs, sheep, goats, bees, chickens, and cattle. In the case of cats, a lack of nuclear, genome-wide data, particularly from Near Eastern wildcats, has made it difficult to either detect or quantify this possibility. To address these issues, we generated 75 ancient mitochondrial genomes, 14 ancient nuclear genomes, and 31 modern nuclear genomes from European and Near Eastern wildcats. Our results demonstrate that despite cohabitating for at least 2,000 years on the European mainland and in Britain, most modern domestic cats possessed less than 10% of their ancestry from European wildcats, and ancient European wildcats possessed little to no ancestry from domestic cats. The antiquity and strength of this reproductive isolation between introduced domestic cats and local wildcats was likely the result of behavioral and ecological differences. Intriguingly, this long-lasting reproductive isolation is currently being eroded in parts of the species' distribution as a result of anthropogenic activities.
Policy makers and managers are increasingly called upon to assess the state of biodiversity, and make decisions regarding potential interventions. Genetic tools are well-recognised in the research ...community as a powerful approach to evaluate species and population status, reveal ecological and demographic processes, and inform nature conservation decisions. The wealth of genetic data and power of genetic methods are rapidly growing, but the consideration of genetic information and concerns in policy and management is limited by the currently low capacity of decision-makers to access and apply genetic resources. Here we describe a freely available, user-friendly online resource for decision-makers at local and national levels (http://congressgenetics.eu), which increases access to current knowledge, facilitates implementation of studies and interpretation of available data, and fosters collaboration between researchers and practitioners. This resource was created in partnership with conservation practitioners across the European Union, and includes a spectrum of taxa, ecosystems and conservation issues. Our goals here are to (1) introduce the rationale and context, (2) describe the specific tools (knowledge summaries, publications database, decision making tool, project planning tool, forum, community directory), and the challenges they help solve, and (3) summarise lessons learned. This article provides an outlook and model for similar efforts to build policy and management capacity.
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