Preserving genetic diversity and adaptive potential while avoiding inbreeding depression is crucial for the long-term conservation of natural populations. Despite demographic increases, traces of past bottleneck events at the genomic level should be carefully considered for population management. From this perspective, the peninsular Italian wolf is a paradigmatic case. After being on the brink of extinction in the late 1960s, peninsular Italian wolves rebounded and recolonized most of the peninsula aided by conservation measures, including habitat and legal protection. Notwithstanding their demographic recovery, a comprehensive understanding of the genomic consequences of the historical bottleneck in Italian wolves is still lacking. To fill this gap, we sequenced whole genomes of 13 individuals sampled in the core historical range of the species in Central Italy to conduct population genomic analyses, including a comparison with wolves from two highly-inbred wolf populations (i.e. Scandinavia and Isle Royale). We found that peninsular Italian wolves, despite their recent recovery, still exhibit relatively low genetic diversity, a small effective population size, signatures of inbreeding, and a non-negligible genetic load. Our findings indicate that the peninsular Italian wolf population is still susceptible to bottleneck legacies, which could lead to local inbreeding depression in case of population reduction or fragmentations. This study emphasizes the importance of considering key genetic parameters to design appropriate long-term conservation management plans.

Beyond population size: whole-genome data reveal bottleneck legacies in the peninsular Italian wolf / Battilani, Daniele; Gargiulo, Roberta; Caniglia, Romolo; Fabbri, Elena; Madrigal, Jazmín Ramos-; Fontsere, Claudia; Ciucani, Marta Maria; Gopalakrishnan, Shyam; Girardi, Matteo; Fracasso, Ilaria; Mastroiaco, Matteo; Ciucci, Paolo; Vernesi, Cristiano. - In: JOURNAL OF HEREDITY. - ISSN 0022-1503. - (2024). [10.1093/jhered/esae041]

Beyond population size: whole-genome data reveal bottleneck legacies in the peninsular Italian wolf

Battilani, Daniele
;
Ciucci, Paolo;
2024

Abstract

Preserving genetic diversity and adaptive potential while avoiding inbreeding depression is crucial for the long-term conservation of natural populations. Despite demographic increases, traces of past bottleneck events at the genomic level should be carefully considered for population management. From this perspective, the peninsular Italian wolf is a paradigmatic case. After being on the brink of extinction in the late 1960s, peninsular Italian wolves rebounded and recolonized most of the peninsula aided by conservation measures, including habitat and legal protection. Notwithstanding their demographic recovery, a comprehensive understanding of the genomic consequences of the historical bottleneck in Italian wolves is still lacking. To fill this gap, we sequenced whole genomes of 13 individuals sampled in the core historical range of the species in Central Italy to conduct population genomic analyses, including a comparison with wolves from two highly-inbred wolf populations (i.e. Scandinavia and Isle Royale). We found that peninsular Italian wolves, despite their recent recovery, still exhibit relatively low genetic diversity, a small effective population size, signatures of inbreeding, and a non-negligible genetic load. Our findings indicate that the peninsular Italian wolf population is still susceptible to bottleneck legacies, which could lead to local inbreeding depression in case of population reduction or fragmentations. This study emphasizes the importance of considering key genetic parameters to design appropriate long-term conservation management plans.
2024
Canis lupus; conservation genomics; genetic diversity; genetic load; inbreeding; N(e) estimation
01 Pubblicazione su rivista::01a Articolo in rivista
Beyond population size: whole-genome data reveal bottleneck legacies in the peninsular Italian wolf / Battilani, Daniele; Gargiulo, Roberta; Caniglia, Romolo; Fabbri, Elena; Madrigal, Jazmín Ramos-; Fontsere, Claudia; Ciucani, Marta Maria; Gopalakrishnan, Shyam; Girardi, Matteo; Fracasso, Ilaria; Mastroiaco, Matteo; Ciucci, Paolo; Vernesi, Cristiano. - In: JOURNAL OF HEREDITY. - ISSN 0022-1503. - (2024). [10.1093/jhered/esae041]
File allegati a questo prodotto
File Dimensione Formato  
Battilani_Beyond-population-size_2024.pdf

accesso aperto

Note: Articolo in rivista
Tipologia: Versione editoriale (versione pubblicata con il layout dell'editore)
Licenza: Creative commons
Dimensione 1.61 MB
Formato Adobe PDF
1.61 MB Adobe PDF

I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.

Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/11573/1721727
Citazioni
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.pmc??? 0
  • Scopus ND
  • ???jsp.display-item.citation.isi??? 0
social impact