Insights from the rescue and breeding management of Cuvier’s gazelle (Gazella cuvieri) through whole‐genome sequencing

Abstract

Captive breeding programmes represent the most intensive type of ex situ population management for threatened species. One example is the Cuvier’s gazelle programme that started in 1975 with only four founding individuals, and after more than four decades of management in captivity, a reintroduction effort was undertaken in Tunisia in 2016, to establish a population in an area historically included within its range. Here, we aim to determine the genetic consequences of this reintroduction event by assessing the genetic diversity of the founder stock as well as of their descendants. We present the first whole‐genome sequencing dataset of 30 Cuvier’s gazelles including captive‐bred animals, animals born in Tunisia after a reintroduction and individuals from a genetically unrelated Moroccan population. Our analyses revealed no difference between the founder and the offspring cohorts in genome‐wide heterozygosity and inbreeding levels, and in the amount and length of runs of homozygosity. The captive but unmanaged Moroccan gazelles have the lowest genetic diversity of all genomes analysed. Our findings demonstrate that the Cuvier’s gazelle captive breeding programme can serve as source populations for future reintroductions of this species. We believe that this study can serve as a starting point for global applications of genomics to the conservation plan of this species.

Analysing pedigree to identify undesirable losses of genetic diversity and to prioritize management decisions in captive breeding: a case study

“…This also applies to the production of individuals aiming at their use in initiatives of reintroduction of the species in its natural habitat. In general, the Released population has genealogical parameter values suggesting that there are not genetic concerns challenging the success of such initiatives, in accordance with results obtained byÁlvarez-Estapé et al (2022) at molecular level in such released population.Current founder representation and future management strategiesThe general scenario of the captive Cuvier's gazelles depicts a demographically fragile, highly inbred, population. The current analysis allowed ascertaining that geographical dissemination of the Cuvier's gazelle individuals in the 1980s caused population structuring yielding regional excess of inbreeding with regards coancestry that, theoretically, can challenge the viability of the North American population or the flocks forming from this reference population.…”

Population Genomic History of the Endangered Anatolian and Cyprian Mouflons in Relation to Worldwide Wild, Feral, and Domestic Sheep Lineages

“…Specifically, our F ROH>1Mb estimates were 0.05% to 18% (median 3%), while species within Caprinae, such as musk-ox, were reported to harbor F ROH>1Mb 25% to 75%, goats exhibit F ROH>1Mb 10% to 25%, and the ibex was reported to have F ROH>5Mb up to 10% ( Grossen et al 2017 ; Bertolini et al 2018 ; Pečnerová et al 2023 ). Within Antilopinae, populations of gazelle and oryx were found to show estimates of F ROH>1.5Mb 20 to 50% and F ROH>0.5Mb 10% to 50%, respectively ( Alvarez-Estape et al 2022 ; Humble et al 2023 ). The lower levels of F ROH in Ovis compared with its relatives may be attributed to population size and mating behavior differences, as well as to a possibly higher frequency of introgression events among different sheep lineages ( Chen et al 2021 ).…”

Evaluation of the Impact of Population Management on the Genetic Parameters of Selected Spiral-Horned Antelopes

“…Population management in zoos has included an explicit focus on genetic diversity for over twenty years, with methods based on pedigree data proving efficient in mitigating the diversity loss [23][24][25][26][27][28]. However, challenges often arise when pedigree records are incomplete or inaccurate [29,30].…”