Demographic histories and genetic diversity across pinnipeds are shaped by human exploitation, ecology and life-history

• Published in: Nature Communications
• Main Authors: Stoffel, M. A., Humble, E., Paijmans, A. J., Acevedo-Whitehouse, K., Chilvers, B. L., Dickerson, B., Galimberti, F., Gemmell, N. J., Goldsworthy, S. D., Nichols, H. J., Krueger, O., Negro, Sandra Silvia, Osborne, A., Pastor, T., Robertson, B. C., Sanvito, S., Schultz, J. K., Shafer, A. B. A., Wolf, J. B. W., Hoffman, Joseph. I.
• Other Authors: Liverpool John Moores University (LJMU), Universität Bielefeld = Bielefeld University, British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Natural Environment Research Council (NERC), Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, Massey University, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Elephant Seal Research Group, Partenaires INRAE, Department of Anatomy, University of Otago Dunedin, Nouvelle-Zélande, South Australian Research and Development Institute, Génétique Quantitative et Evolution - Le Moulon (Génétique Végétale) (GQE-Le Moulon), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université Paris-Sud - Paris 11 (UP11)-AgroParisTech-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), School of biological Sciences Christchurch, University of Canterbury Christchurch, EUROPARC Federation, Trent Univ, Forens Sci & Environm Life Sci, Peterborough, ON K9J 7B8, Canada, Uppsala University, Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich (LMU), German Research Foundation (DFG) HO 5122/3-1, HO 5122/5-1, SFB TRR 212, Liverpool John Moores University
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2018
• Subjects: approximate bayesian computation; effective population-size; northern elephant seal; allele frequency data; r package; biological conservation; sexual selection; bottleneck; inference; extinction; [SDV]Life Sciences [q-bio]; [SDV.BV]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Vegetal Biology; Elephant Seal
• Online Access: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02623777; https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02623777/document; https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-02623777/file/2018_Stoffel_Nature%20Communications_1.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-06695-z

International audience A central paradigm in conservation biology is that population bottlenecks reduce genetic diversity and population viability. In an era of biodiversity loss and climate change, understanding the determinants and consequences of bottlenecks is therefore an important challenge. However, as most studies focus on single species, the multitude of potential drivers and the consequences of bottlenecks remain elusive. Here, we combined genetic data from over 11,000 individuals of 30 pinniped species with demographic, ecological and life history data to evaluate the consequences of commercial exploitation by 18th and 19th century sealers. We show that around one third of these species exhibit strong signatures of recent population declines. Bottleneck strength is associated with breeding habitat and mating system variation, and together with global abundance explains much of the variation in genetic diversity across species. Overall, bottleneck intensity is unrelated to IUCN status, although the three most heavily bottlenecked species are endangered. Our study reveals an unforeseen interplay between human exploitation, animal biology, demographic declines and genetic diversity.