The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins
Understanding the boundaries of breeding populations is of great importance for conservation efforts and estimates of extinction risk for threatened species. However, determining these boundaries can be difficult when population structure is subtle. Emperor penguins are highly reliant on sea ice, an...
Published in: | Molecular Ecology |
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Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2017
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Online Access: | https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/4396d88a-3aed-4f74-837c-311635d3080f https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14172 https://purehost.bath.ac.uk/ws/files/199836466/Younger_et_al_2017_Molecular_Ecology.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020215233&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
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ftunivbathcris:oai:purehost.bath.ac.uk:publications/4396d88a-3aed-4f74-837c-311635d3080f 2024-09-15T17:40:34+00:00 The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins Younger, Jane L. Clucas, Gemma V. Kao, Damian Rogers, Alex D. Gharbi, Karim Hart, Tom Miller, Karen J. 2017-07-27 application/pdf https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/4396d88a-3aed-4f74-837c-311635d3080f https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14172 https://purehost.bath.ac.uk/ws/files/199836466/Younger_et_al_2017_Molecular_Ecology.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020215233&partnerID=8YFLogxK eng eng https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/4396d88a-3aed-4f74-837c-311635d3080f info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Younger , J L , Clucas , G V , Kao , D , Rogers , A D , Gharbi , K , Hart , T & Miller , K J 2017 , ' The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins ' , Molecular Ecology , vol. 26 , no. 15 , pp. 3883-3897 . https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14172 Antarctica dispersal population genomics RAD-seq Ross Sea Southern Ocean /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105 name=Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1300/1311 name=Genetics /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action article 2017 ftunivbathcris https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14172 2024-08-28T23:48:47Z Understanding the boundaries of breeding populations is of great importance for conservation efforts and estimates of extinction risk for threatened species. However, determining these boundaries can be difficult when population structure is subtle. Emperor penguins are highly reliant on sea ice, and some populations may be in jeopardy as climate change alters sea-ice extent and quality. An understanding of emperor penguin population structure is therefore urgently needed. Two previous studies have differed in their conclusions, particularly whether the Ross Sea, a major stronghold for the species, is isolated or not. We assessed emperor penguin population structure using 4,596 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), characterized in 110 individuals (10–16 per colony) from eight colonies around Antarctica. In contrast to a previous conclusion that emperor penguins are panmictic around the entire continent, we find that emperor penguins comprise at least four metapopulations, and that the Ross Sea is clearly a distinct metapopulation. Using larger sample sizes and a thorough assessment of the limitations of different analytical methods, we have shown that population structure within emperor penguins does exist and argue that its recognition is vital for the effective conservation of the species. We discuss the many difficulties that molecular ecologists and managers face in the detection and interpretation of subtle population structure using large SNP data sets, and argue that subtle structure should be taken into account when determining management strategies for threatened species, until accurate estimates of demographic connectivity among populations can be made. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Emperor penguins Ross Sea Sea ice Southern Ocean University of Bath's research portal Molecular Ecology 26 15 3883 3897 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of Bath's research portal |
op_collection_id |
ftunivbathcris |
language |
English |
topic |
Antarctica dispersal population genomics RAD-seq Ross Sea Southern Ocean /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105 name=Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1300/1311 name=Genetics /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action |
spellingShingle |
Antarctica dispersal population genomics RAD-seq Ross Sea Southern Ocean /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105 name=Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1300/1311 name=Genetics /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action Younger, Jane L. Clucas, Gemma V. Kao, Damian Rogers, Alex D. Gharbi, Karim Hart, Tom Miller, Karen J. The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins |
topic_facet |
Antarctica dispersal population genomics RAD-seq Ross Sea Southern Ocean /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1100/1105 name=Ecology Evolution Behavior and Systematics /dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1300/1311 name=Genetics /dk/atira/pure/sustainabledevelopmentgoals/climate_action name=SDG 13 - Climate Action |
description |
Understanding the boundaries of breeding populations is of great importance for conservation efforts and estimates of extinction risk for threatened species. However, determining these boundaries can be difficult when population structure is subtle. Emperor penguins are highly reliant on sea ice, and some populations may be in jeopardy as climate change alters sea-ice extent and quality. An understanding of emperor penguin population structure is therefore urgently needed. Two previous studies have differed in their conclusions, particularly whether the Ross Sea, a major stronghold for the species, is isolated or not. We assessed emperor penguin population structure using 4,596 genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), characterized in 110 individuals (10–16 per colony) from eight colonies around Antarctica. In contrast to a previous conclusion that emperor penguins are panmictic around the entire continent, we find that emperor penguins comprise at least four metapopulations, and that the Ross Sea is clearly a distinct metapopulation. Using larger sample sizes and a thorough assessment of the limitations of different analytical methods, we have shown that population structure within emperor penguins does exist and argue that its recognition is vital for the effective conservation of the species. We discuss the many difficulties that molecular ecologists and managers face in the detection and interpretation of subtle population structure using large SNP data sets, and argue that subtle structure should be taken into account when determining management strategies for threatened species, until accurate estimates of demographic connectivity among populations can be made. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Younger, Jane L. Clucas, Gemma V. Kao, Damian Rogers, Alex D. Gharbi, Karim Hart, Tom Miller, Karen J. |
author_facet |
Younger, Jane L. Clucas, Gemma V. Kao, Damian Rogers, Alex D. Gharbi, Karim Hart, Tom Miller, Karen J. |
author_sort |
Younger, Jane L. |
title |
The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins |
title_short |
The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins |
title_full |
The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins |
title_fullStr |
The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins |
title_full_unstemmed |
The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins |
title_sort |
challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins |
publishDate |
2017 |
url |
https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/4396d88a-3aed-4f74-837c-311635d3080f https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14172 https://purehost.bath.ac.uk/ws/files/199836466/Younger_et_al_2017_Molecular_Ecology.pdf http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85020215233&partnerID=8YFLogxK |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Emperor penguins Ross Sea Sea ice Southern Ocean |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Emperor penguins Ross Sea Sea ice Southern Ocean |
op_source |
Younger , J L , Clucas , G V , Kao , D , Rogers , A D , Gharbi , K , Hart , T & Miller , K J 2017 , ' The challenges of detecting subtle population structure and its importance for the conservation of emperor penguins ' , Molecular Ecology , vol. 26 , no. 15 , pp. 3883-3897 . https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14172 |
op_relation |
https://researchportal.bath.ac.uk/en/publications/4396d88a-3aed-4f74-837c-311635d3080f |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14172 |
container_title |
Molecular Ecology |
container_volume |
26 |
container_issue |
15 |
container_start_page |
3883 |
op_container_end_page |
3897 |
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1810486600502607872 |