Lost populations and preserving genetic diversity in the lion Panthera leo: Implications for its ex situ conservation

Barnett, Ross; Yamaguchi, Nobuyuki; Barnes, Ian; Cooper, Alan

doi:10.1007/s10592-005-9062-0

Cited by 53 publications

(92 citation statements)

References 17 publications

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“…Historical and current geographical distributions of lions are marked (shading). Adapted from Barnett et al (2006b) previously (Driscoll 1998;Driscoll et al 2002) by 2D principal component analysis using GENETIX version 4.05 (Belkhir et al 1996(Belkhir et al -2004 and by admixture analysis using STRUCTURE version 2.2 (Pritchard et al 2000). STRUCTURE results were graphically represented with the help of DISTRUCT version 1.1 (Rosenberg 2004).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A genetically distinct lion (Panthera leo) population from Ethiopia

et al. 2012

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Lion (Panthera leo) numbers are in serious decline and two of only a handful of evolutionary significant units have already become extinct in the wild. However, there is continued debate about the genetic distinctiveness of different lion populations, a discussion delaying the initiation of conservation actions for endangered populations. Some lions from Ethiopia are phenotypically distinct from other extant lions in that the males possess an extensive dark mane. In this study, we investigated the microsatellite variation over ten loci in 15 lions from Addis Ababa Zoo in Ethiopia. A comparison with six wild lion populations identifies the Addis Ababa lions as being not only phenotypically but also genetically distinct from other lions. In addition, a comparison of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (CytB) gene sequence of these lions to sequences of wild lions of different origins supports the notion of their genetic uniqueness. Our examination of the genetic diversity of this captive lion population shows little effect of inbreeding. Immediate conservation actions, including a captive breeding programme designed to conserve genetic diversity and maintain the lineage, are urgently needed to preserve this unique lion population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A genetically distinct lion (Panthera leo) population from Ethiopia

et al. 2012

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“…DNA extraction, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), sequencing and cloning were performed according to standard aDNA criteria (Shapiro et al 2004) by following the procedures described elsewhere (Barnett et al 2006). …”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The origin, current diversity and future conservation of the modern lion ( Panthera leo )

et al. 2006

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Understanding the phylogeographic processes affecting endangered species is crucial both to interpreting their evolutionary history and to the establishment of conservation strategies. Lions provide a key opportunity to explore such processes; however, a lack of genetic diversity and shortage of suitable samples has until now hindered such investigation. We used mitochondrial control region DNA (mtDNA) sequences to investigate the phylogeographic history of modern lions, using samples from across their entire range. We find the sub-Saharan African lions are basal among modern lions, supporting a single African origin model of modern lion evolution, equivalent to the 'recent African origin' model of modern human evolution. We also find the greatest variety of mtDNA haplotypes in the centre of Africa, which may be due to the distribution of physical barriers and continental-scale habitat changes caused by Pleistocene glacial oscillations. Our results suggest that the modern lion may currently consist of three geographic populations on the basis of their recent evolutionary history: North African-Asian, southern African and middle African. Future conservation strategies should take these evolutionary subdivisions into consideration.

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“…The mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region has been extensively used in conservation studies of many species of vertebrates (Eizirik et al, 1998;Möller et al, 2001;Montoya-Burgos, 2003;Cantanhede et al, 2005;Márquez et al, 2006;Barnett et al, 2006;Tchaicka et al, 2007). Due to the high polymorphism on its 5' end in vertebrates (Avise, 1994;Taberlet, 1996), this segment has been widely used in populational studies of mustelids such as Gulo gulo (Wilson et al, 2000;Chappell et al, 2004), Mustela putorius (Davison et al, 2000), Martes foina (Davison et al, 2001), Enhydra lutris (Larson et al, 2002), and Lutra lutra (Mucci et al, 1999;Cassens et al, 2000;Pérez-Haro et al, 2005).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Genetic diversity of the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis Olfers, 1818) in Southern and Southeastern Brazil

Eizirik

2007

Braz. J. Biol.

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The Neotropical otter is one of the least known otter species, and it is considered to be threatened to various degrees throughout its geographic range. Little information exists on the ecological characteristics of this species, and no genetic study has been published about it until now, hampering the design of adequate conservation strategies for its populations. To contribute with genetic information to comprehensive conservation efforts on behalf of L. longicaudis, we characterized the molecular diversity of the 5' portion of the mtDNA control region in samples from this species collected in Southern and Southeastern Brazil. The sequence analysis revealed a high level of haplotype diversity (h = 0.819; SE = 0.0052) and nucleotide variability ranging from 0.0039 to 0.0067. One of the sampled haplotypes was the most common in both regions and, from this sequence, several other (locally occurring) haplotypes could be derived by single point mutations. No significant genetic differentiation was observed between the Southern and Southeastern regions.Keywords: Lontra longicaudis, mitochondrial DNA, control region, genetic diversity. Diversidade genética da lontra Neotropical (Lontra longicaudis Olfers, 1818) no Sul e Sudeste do Brasil ResumoA lontra Neotropical é uma das espécies de lontras menos conhecidas e apresenta diferentes graus de ameaça ao longo de sua distribuição geográfica. Pouca informação existe a respeito de aspectos ecológicos desta espécie e nenhum estudo genético foi publicado até o momento, dificultando a delimitação de estratégias adequadas de conservação para suas populações. Para contribuir com informação genética aos esforços de conservação de L. longicaudis, a diversidade molecular da porção 5' da região controladora do DNA mitocondrial foi caracterizada em amostras desta espécie coletadas nas regiões Sul e Sudeste do Brasil. A análise das seqüências revelou um alto nível de diversidade haplotípica (h = 0,819; SE = 0,0052) e variabilidade nucleotídica entre 0,0039 a 0,0067. Um dos haplótipos encontrados foi o mais comum em ambas as regiões e, desta seqüência, diversos outros haplótipos (de ocorrência restrita) podem ter se derivado através de mutações pontuais. Nenhuma diferenciação genética significante foi observada entre as regiões Sul e Sudeste.Palavras-chave: Lontra longicaudis, DNA mitocondrial, região controladora, diversidade genética.

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Lost populations and preserving genetic diversity in the lion Panthera leo: Implications for its ex situ conservation

Abstract: Two of the eight recognized lion subspecies, North African Barbary lion (Panthera leo leo) and South African Cape lion (Panthera leo melanochaita), have become extinct in the wild in the last 150 years.

Cited by 53 publications

References 17 publications

A genetically distinct lion (Panthera leo) population from Ethiopia

A genetically distinct lion (Panthera leo) population from Ethiopia

The origin, current diversity and future conservation of the modern lion ( Panthera leo )

Genetic diversity of the Neotropical otter (Lontra longicaudis Olfers, 1818) in Southern and Southeastern Brazil

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