2024-12-11 ペンシルベニア州立大学(PennState)
<関連情報>
- https://www.psu.edu/news/eberly-college-science/story/once-endangered-kirtlands-warblers-show-extensive-signs-inbreeding
- https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/eva.70052
絶滅危惧種に指定されたばかりのソングバードが、近親交配のゲノム上の証拠を多数保持しており、今後の回復を困難にする可能性がある Recently Delisted Songbird Harbors Extensive Genomic Evidence of Inbreeding, Potentially Complicating Future Recovery
Anna María Calderón, Andrew W. Wood, Zachary A. Szpiech, David P. L. Toews
Evolutionary Applications Published: 09 December 2024
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70052
ABSTRACT
The Kirtland’s warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) is a rare migratory passerine species and habitat specialist of the North American Jack Pine Forests. Their near extinction in the 1970s classified them as endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. After decades of intense conservation management, their population size recovered, and they were delisted from federal protection in 2019. We explore the genomic consequences of this harsh bottleneck and recovery by comparing the genomic architecture of two closely related species whose population sizes have remained large and stable, Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina) and American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). We used whole-genome sequencing to characterize the distribution of runs of homozygosity and deleterious genetic variation. We find evidence that Kirtland’s warblers exhibit genetic patterns consistent with recent inbreeding. Our results also show that Kirtland’s warblers carry an excess proportion of deleterious variation, which could complicate management for this conservation-reliant species. This analysis provides a genetically informed perspective that should be thoroughly considered when delisting other species from federal protections. Through the increasing accessibility of genome sequencing technology, it will be more feasible to monitor the genetic landscape of recovering populations to ensure their long-term survival independent of conservation intervention.
