Genetic footprint of population fragmentation and contemporary collapse in a freshwater cetacean

Understanding demographic trends and patterns of gene flow in an endangered species is crucial for devising conservation strategies. Here, we examined the extent of population structure and recent evolution of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorien...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Scientific Reports
Main Authors: Chen, Minmin, Fontaine, Michael C., Ben Chehida, Yacine, Zheng, Jinsong, Labbe, Frederic, Mei, Zhigang, Hao, Yujiang, Wang, Kexiong, Wu, Min, Zhao, Qingzhong, Wang, Ding
Format: Report
Language:English
Published: NATURE PUBLISHING GROUP 2017
Subjects:
Science & Technology - Other Topics
Multidisciplinary Sciences
YANGTZE FINLESS PORPOISE
APPROXIMATE BAYESIAN COMPUTATION
NEOPHOCAENA-ASIAEORIENTALIS-ASIAEORIENTALIS
MULTILOCUS GENOTYPE DATA
MICROSATELLITE LOCI
LINKAGE DISEQUILIBRIUM
MULTIVARIATE-ANALYSIS
ENVIRONMENTAL-CHANGE
PHOCOENA-PHOCOENA
DNA POLYMORPHISM
Phocoena phocoena
Online Access:http://ir.ihb.ac.cn/handle/342005/30756
http://ir.ihb.ac.cn/handle/342005/30757
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-017-14812-z
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Summary:Understanding demographic trends and patterns of gene flow in an endangered species is crucial for devising conservation strategies. Here, we examined the extent of population structure and recent evolution of the critically endangered Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis). By analysing genetic variation at the mitochondrial and nuclear microsatellite loci for 148 individuals, we identified three populations along the Yangtze River, each one connected to a group of admixed ancestry. Each population displayed extremely low genetic diversity, consistent with extremely small effective size (<= 92 individuals). Habitat degradation and distribution gaps correlated with highly asymmetric gene-flow that was inefficient in maintaining connectivity between populations. Genetic inferences of historical demography revealed that the populations in the Yangtze descended from a small number of founders colonizing the river from the sea during the last Ice Age. The colonization was followed by a rapid population split during the last millennium predating the Chinese Modern Economy Development. However, genetic diversity showed a clear footprint of population contraction over the last 50 years leaving only similar to 2 % of the pre-collapsed size, consistent with the population collapses reported from field studies. This genetic perspective

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