Demography reveals populational expansion of a recently extinct Iberian ungulate

By

Forcina, Giovanni
Woutersen, Kees
Sanchez-Ramirez, Santiago
Angelone, Samer
Creampe, Jean
Perez, Jesus Maria
Fandos, Paulino
Granados Torres, Jose Enrique
Jowers, Michael

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021

Original Publication

Zoosystematics and evolution

Volume

97

Series / Issue

Issue: 1

Pages

211--221

Subjects

Ancient DNA , anthropocene biodiversity crisis , biotic impoverishment , Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica , Cytochrome-b , epizootics , extinction , museum specimens , public repositories , trophy hunting

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/zse.97.61854

 

Abstract

Reconstructing the demographic history of endangered taxa is paramount to predict future fluctuations and disentangle the contributing factors. Extinct taxa or populations might also provide key insights in this respect by means of the DNA extracted from museum specimens. Nevertheless, the degraded status of biological material and the limited number of records may pose some constraints. For this reason, identifying all available sources, including private and public biological collections, is a crucial step forward. In this study, we reconstructed the demographic history based on cytochrome-b sequence data of the Pyrenean ibex (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica), a charismatic taxon of the European wildlife that became extinct in the year 2000. Moreover, we built a database of the museum specimens available in public biological collections worldwide and genotyped a privately owned 140-year-old trophy from the Spanish Pyrenees to confirm its origin. We found that the population of the Pyrenean ibex underwent a recent expansion approximately 20,000 years ago, after which trophy hunting and epizootics triggered a relentless population decline. Our interpretations, based on the genetic information currently available in public repositories, provide a solid basis for more exhaustive analyses relying on all the new sources identified. In particular, the adoption of a genome-wide approach appears a fundamental prerequisite to disentangle the multiple contributing factors associated with low genetic diversity, including inbreeding depression, acting as extinction drivers.