PREreviews of “Recent demographic histories and genetic diversity across pinnipeds are shaped by anthropogenic interactions and mediated by ecology and life-history”

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Recent demographic histories and genetic diversity across pinnipeds are shaped by anthropogenic interactions and mediated by ecology and life-history

by M.A. Stoffel, E. Humble, K. Acevedo-Whitehouse, B.L. Chilvers, B. Dickerson, F. Galimberti, N. Gemmell, S.D Goldsworthy, H.J. Nichols, O Krüger, S. Negro, A. Osborne, A.J. Paijmans, T. Pastor, B.C. Robertson, S. Sanvito, J. Schultz, A.B.A Shafer, J.B.W. Wolf, and J.I. Hoffman

Posted: April 9, 2018
Server: bioRxiv
DOI: 10.1101/293894

Abstract

A central paradigm in conservation biology is that population bottlenecks reduce genetic diversity and negatively impact population viability and adaptive potential. In an era of unprecedented biodiversity loss and climate change, understanding both the determinants and consequences of bottlenecks in wild populations is therefore an increasingly important challenge. However, as most studies have focused on single species, the multitude of potential drivers and the consequences of bottlenecks remain elusive. Here, we used a comparative approach by integrating genetic data from over 11,000 individuals of 30 pinniped species with demographic, ecological and life history data to elucidate the consequences of large-scale commercial exploitation by 18^thand 19^thcentury sealers. We show that around one third of these species exhibit strong genetic signatures of recent population declines, with estimated bottleneck effective population sizes reflecting just a few tens of surviving individuals in the most extreme cases. Bottleneck strength was strongly associated with both breeding habitat and mating system variation, and together with global abundance explained a large proportion of the variation in genetic diversity across species. Overall, there was no relationship between bottleneck intensity and IUCN status, although three of the four most heavily bottlenecked species are currently endangered. Our study reveals an unforeseen interplay between anthropogenic exploitation, ecology, life history and demographic declines, sheds new light on the determinants of genetic diversity, and is consistent with the notion that both genetic and demographic factors influence population viability.

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PREreview by Margaret Mars Brisbin et al.

Authored by Margaret Mars Brisbin, Yuka Suzuki, Maki Thomas, Samuel Ross, Julian Katzke, Stefano Pascarelli, Vienna Kowallik, Maéva Angélique Techer, Jigyasa Arora, Otis Brunner, Darko Cotoras, Crystal Clitheroe, and Fabien C. Y. Benureau

PREreview from the OIST Ecology and Evolution Preprint Journal Club
Recent demographic histories and genetic diversity across pinnipeds are shaped by anthropogenic interactions and mediated by ecology and life-history
Martin Adam Stoffel, Emily Humble, Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse, Barbara …

Read the PREreview by Margaret Mars Brisbin et al.

PREreviews of Recent demographic histories and genetic diversity across pinnipeds are shaped by anthropogenic interactions and mediated by ecology and life-history

1 PREreview

PREreview from the OIST Ecology and Evolution Preprint Journal Club

Recent demographic histories and genetic diversity across pinnipeds are shaped by anthropogenic interactions and mediated by ecology and life-history

Martin Adam Stoffel, Emily Humble, Karina Acevedo-Whitehouse, Barbara …