Fitness consequences and ancestry loss in the Apennine brown bear after a simulated genetic rescue intervention
Abstract Reduction in population size, with its predicted effects on population fitness, is the most alarming anthropogenic impact on endangered species. By introducing compatible individuals, genetic rescue (GR) is a promising but debated approach for reducing the genetic load unmasked by inbreedin...
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crwiley:10.1111/cobi.14133 2024-06-02T08:15:37+00:00 Fitness consequences and ancestry loss in the Apennine brown bear after a simulated genetic rescue intervention Maroso, Francesco Padovani, Giada Muñoz Mora, Víctor Hugo Giannelli, Francesco Trucchi, Emiliano Bertorelle, Giorgio 2023 http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14133 en eng Wiley http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ Conservation Biology volume 37, issue 6 ISSN 0888-8892 1523-1739 journal-article 2023 crwiley https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14133 2024-05-03T12:02:24Z Abstract Reduction in population size, with its predicted effects on population fitness, is the most alarming anthropogenic impact on endangered species. By introducing compatible individuals, genetic rescue (GR) is a promising but debated approach for reducing the genetic load unmasked by inbreeding and for restoring the fitness of declining populations. Although GR can improve genetic diversity and fitness, it can also produce loss of ancestry, hampering local adaptation, or replace with introduced variants the unique genetic pools evolved in endemic groups. We used forward genetic simulations based on empirical genomic data to assess fitness benefits and loss of ancestry risks of GR in the Apennine brown bear ( Ursus arctos marsicanus ). There are approximately 50 individuals of this isolated subspecies, and they have lower genetic diversity and higher inbreeding than other European brown bears, and GR has been suggested to reduce extinction risks. We compared 10 GR scenarios in which the number and genetic characteristics of migrants varied with a non‐GR scenario of simple demographic increase due to nongenetic factors. The introduction of 5 individuals of higher fitness or lower levels of deleterious mutations than the target Apennine brown bear from a larger European brown bear population produced a rapid 10–20% increase in fitness in the subspecies and up to 22.4% loss of ancestry over 30 generations. Without a contemporary demographic increase, fitness started to decline again after a few generations. Doubling the population size without GR gradually increased fitness to a comparable level, but without losing ancestry, thus resulting in the best strategy for the Apennine brown bear conservation. Our results highlight the importance for management of endangered species of realistic forward simulations grounded in empirical whole‐genome data. Article in Journal/Newspaper Ursus arctos Wiley Online Library Conservation Biology 37 6 |
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Abstract Reduction in population size, with its predicted effects on population fitness, is the most alarming anthropogenic impact on endangered species. By introducing compatible individuals, genetic rescue (GR) is a promising but debated approach for reducing the genetic load unmasked by inbreeding and for restoring the fitness of declining populations. Although GR can improve genetic diversity and fitness, it can also produce loss of ancestry, hampering local adaptation, or replace with introduced variants the unique genetic pools evolved in endemic groups. We used forward genetic simulations based on empirical genomic data to assess fitness benefits and loss of ancestry risks of GR in the Apennine brown bear ( Ursus arctos marsicanus ). There are approximately 50 individuals of this isolated subspecies, and they have lower genetic diversity and higher inbreeding than other European brown bears, and GR has been suggested to reduce extinction risks. We compared 10 GR scenarios in which the number and genetic characteristics of migrants varied with a non‐GR scenario of simple demographic increase due to nongenetic factors. The introduction of 5 individuals of higher fitness or lower levels of deleterious mutations than the target Apennine brown bear from a larger European brown bear population produced a rapid 10–20% increase in fitness in the subspecies and up to 22.4% loss of ancestry over 30 generations. Without a contemporary demographic increase, fitness started to decline again after a few generations. Doubling the population size without GR gradually increased fitness to a comparable level, but without losing ancestry, thus resulting in the best strategy for the Apennine brown bear conservation. Our results highlight the importance for management of endangered species of realistic forward simulations grounded in empirical whole‐genome data. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Maroso, Francesco Padovani, Giada Muñoz Mora, Víctor Hugo Giannelli, Francesco Trucchi, Emiliano Bertorelle, Giorgio |
spellingShingle |
Maroso, Francesco Padovani, Giada Muñoz Mora, Víctor Hugo Giannelli, Francesco Trucchi, Emiliano Bertorelle, Giorgio Fitness consequences and ancestry loss in the Apennine brown bear after a simulated genetic rescue intervention |
author_facet |
Maroso, Francesco Padovani, Giada Muñoz Mora, Víctor Hugo Giannelli, Francesco Trucchi, Emiliano Bertorelle, Giorgio |
author_sort |
Maroso, Francesco |
title |
Fitness consequences and ancestry loss in the Apennine brown bear after a simulated genetic rescue intervention |
title_short |
Fitness consequences and ancestry loss in the Apennine brown bear after a simulated genetic rescue intervention |
title_full |
Fitness consequences and ancestry loss in the Apennine brown bear after a simulated genetic rescue intervention |
title_fullStr |
Fitness consequences and ancestry loss in the Apennine brown bear after a simulated genetic rescue intervention |
title_full_unstemmed |
Fitness consequences and ancestry loss in the Apennine brown bear after a simulated genetic rescue intervention |
title_sort |
fitness consequences and ancestry loss in the apennine brown bear after a simulated genetic rescue intervention |
publisher |
Wiley |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14133 |
genre |
Ursus arctos |
genre_facet |
Ursus arctos |
op_source |
Conservation Biology volume 37, issue 6 ISSN 0888-8892 1523-1739 |
op_rights |
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.14133 |
container_title |
Conservation Biology |
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37 |
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6 |
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1800739866203389952 |