Reeves’ muntjac populations continue to grow and spread across Great Britain and are invading continental Europe

The appropriate response for controlling an invasive non-native species depends on the extent to which its invasion has progressed, which can be revealed by information on its distribution and abundance. Reeves’ muntjac is a native deer to China and Taiwan, but has been introduced and become well-established in Great Britain. Moreover, in recent years, reports and verified records in the wild from other European countries have become more frequent. We reviewed the status of Reeves’ muntjac in Britain and evaluated its national range expansion from 2002 to 2016. While the British population appears to have tripled in size since 1995, the rate at which it has expanded its range seems to have peaked at approximately 12% per year between 2002 and 2005 and has since declined. We also consolidated observations on its international distribution, including a conservative evaluation of its presence in zoological collections. We predict that this species could expand its range to include every European country, although the availability of suitable landcover and climate is likely to vary substantially between countries. To prevent the significant impacts to conservation interests that have been observed in Great Britain from extending across Europe, national administrations should consider eradicating Reeves’ muntjac while that is still feasible

Long Distance Dispersal of Zooplankton Endemic to Isolated Mountaintops - an Example of an Ecological Process Operating on an Evolutionary Time Scale

Recent findings suggest a convergence of time scales between ecological and evolutionary processes which is usually explained in terms of rapid micro evolution resulting in evolution on ecological time scales. A similar convergence, however, can also emerge when slow ecological processes take place on evolutionary time scales. A good example of such a slow ecological process is the colonization of remote aquatic habitats by passively dispersed zooplankton. Using variation at the protein coding mitochondrial COI gene, we investigated the balance between mutation and migration as drivers of genetic diversity in two Branchipodopsis fairy shrimp species (Crustacea, Anostraca) endemic to remote temporary rock pool clusters at the summit of isolated mountaintops in central South Africa. We showed that both species colonized the region almost simultaneously c. 0.8 My ago, but exhibit contrasting patterns of regional genetic diversity and demographic history. The haplotype network of the common B. cf. wolfi showed clear evidence of 11 long distance dispersal events (up to 140 km) with five haplotypes that are shared among distant inselbergs, as well as some more spatially isolated derivates. Similar patterns were not observed for B. drakensbergensis presumably since this rarer species experienced a genetic bottleneck. We conclude that the observed genetic patterns reflect rare historic colonization events rather than frequent ongoing gene flow. Moreover, the high regional haplotype diversity combined with a high degree of haplotype endemicity indicates that evolutionary- (mutation) and ecological (migration) processes in this system operate on similar time scales

Founder effects determine the genetic structure of the water flea Daphnia in Ethiopian reservoirs

© 2017 Association for the Sciences of Limnology and Oceanography Founder effects introduce stochasticity in the genetic structure of species at the regional scale. To the extent that founder effects are important, they will result in a reduced signature of space, time, and environmental variation in landscape genetic data. We studied the metapopulation genetic structure of recently founded populations of the microcrustacean Daphnia sinensis in 10 Ethiopian water reservoirs. We used three different approaches to estimate the number of effective founders and applied them to two independent genetic marker sets in an effort to investigate the role of founder effects and to estimate effective size of the founding population. Estimates of founding sizes rarely exceeded eight individuals but were most often limited to less than four individuals. No associations of genetic identities, gene frequencies, measures of genetic diversity, or differentiation with environmental and spatial variables were found. Age and size of the reservoirs were not correlated with genetic diversity measures or number of founders in these reservoirs. These findings indicate that neither strong selection, nor dispersal limitation are responsible for the observed pattern of genetic variation. Our results suggest a regional population structure that is strongly impacted by founder events, reflecting colonization by just a few founders per waterbody, and not noticeably influenced by subsequent dispersal and gene flow. Our results show that rapid colonization of empty habitats and fast population growth by a handful of founders can result in strong founder effects, even in relatively large habitats that are likely regularly reached by new immigrants.status: publishe

Monitoring status and trends in genetic diversity for the Convention on Biological Diversity: An ongoing assessment of genetic indicators in nine countries

Recent scientific evidence shows that genetic diversity must be maintained, managed, and monitored to protect biodiversity and nature's contributions to people. Three genetic diversity indicators, two of which do not require DNA-based assessment, have been proposed for reporting to the Convention on Biological Diversity and other conservation and policy initiatives. These indicators allow an approximation of the status and trends of genetic diversity to inform policy, using existing demographic and geographic information. Application of these indicators has been initiated and here we describe ongoing efforts in calculating these indicators with examples. We specifically describe a project underway to apply these indicators in nine countries, provide example calculations, address concerns of policy makers and implementation challenges, and describe a roadmap for further development and deployment, incorporating feedback from the broader community. We also present guidance documents and data collection tools for calculating indicators. We demonstrate that Parties can successfully and cost-effectively report these genetic diversity indicators with existing biodiversity observation data, and, in doing so, better conserve the Earth's biodiversity

Guideline Materials and Documentation for the Genetic Diversity Indicators of the Monitoring Framework for the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Genetic diversity is fundamental to biological diversity, vital for species’ health and adaptation to environmental change. Under the recently adopted Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), 196 Parties committed to report the status of genetic diversity for both wild and domesticated species. For this, three genetic diversity indicators were developed, two of which focus on processes contributing to genetic diversity conservation: ensuring that populations are large enough to maintain genetic diversity (effective population size Ne 500 indicator) and maintaining genetically distinct populations (populations maintained, PM indicator). A third indicator focuses on the number of species being monitored using DNA-based methods. Adopted by 196 CBD Parties in December 2022, GBF integrated Ne 500 and PM as headline and complementary indicators, respectively. To aid nations in quantifying these indicators, a detailed set of guideline materials was developed, encompassing species selection, data compilation, and indicator computation. These guidelines draw from the collaborative efforts of the first multinational assessment of genetic diversity indicators that was recently completed and that will be refined continually through a versioning system, as more experience is gained and shared. The materials aim to support the global monitoring framework established by the CBD and are accessible online for utilization and updates. The guidelines are available at this link.

Genetic diversity is considered important but interpreted narrowly in country reports to the Convention on Biological Diversity: current actions and indicators are insufficient

20openInternationalInternational coauthor/editorInternational agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have committed to conserve, and sustainably and equitably use, biodiversity. The CBD is a vital instrument for global conservation because it guides 195 countries and the European Union in setting priorities and allocating resources, and requires regular reporting on progress. However, the CBD and similar policy agreements have often neglected genetic diversity.openHoban, Sean; Campbell, Catriona D.; da Silva, Jessica M.; Ekblom, Robert; Funk, W. Chris; Garner, Brittany A.; Godoy, José A.; Kershaw, Francine; MacDonald, Anna J.; Mergeay, Joachim; Minter, Melissa; O'Brien, David; Vinas, Ivan Paz; Pearson, Sarah K.; Pérez-Espona, Sílvia; Potter, Kevin M.; Russo, Isa-Rita M.; Segelbacher, Gernot; Vernesi, Cristiano; Hunter, Margaret E.Hoban, S.; Campbell, C.D.; da Silva, J.M.; Ekblom, R.; Funk, W.C.; Garner, B.A.; Godoy, J.A.; Kershaw, F.; Macdonald, A.J.; Mergeay, J.; Minter, M.; O'Brien, D.; Vinas, I.P.; Pearson, S.K.; Pérez-Espona, S.; Potter, K.M.; Russo, I.M.; Segelbacher, G.; Vernesi, C.; Hunter, M.E

Dealing With the Complexity of Effective Population Size in Conservation Practice

Effective population size (Ne) is one of the most important parameters in evolutionary biology, as it is linked to the long-term survival capability of species. Therefore, Ne greatly interests conservation geneticists, but it is also very relevant to policymakers, managers, and conservation practitioners. Molecular methods to estimate Ne rely on various assumptions, including no immigration, panmixia, random sampling, absence of spatial genetic structure, and/or mutation-drift equilibrium. Species are, however, often characterized by fragmented populations under changing environmental conditions and anthropogenic pressure. Therefore, the estimation methods' assumptions are seldom addressed and rarely met, possibly leading to biased and inaccurate Ne estimates. To address the challenges associated with estimating Ne for conservation purposes, the COST Action 18134, Genomic Biodiversity Knowledge for Resilient Ecosystems (G-BiKE), organized an international workshop that met in August 2022 in Brașov, Romania. The overarching goal was to operationalize the current knowledge of Ne estimation methods for conservation practitioners and decision-makers. We set out to identify datasets to evaluate the sensitivity of Ne estimation methods to violations of underlying assumptions and to develop data analysis strategies that addressed pressing issues in biodiversity monitoring and conservation. Referring to a comprehensive body of scientific work on Ne, this meeting report is not intended to be exhaustive but rather to present approaches, workshop findings, and a collection of papers that serve as fruits of those efforts. We aimed to provide insights and opportunities to help bridge the gap between scientific research and conservation practice