Genetic and demographic history define a conservation strategy for earth’s most endangered pinniped, the Mediterranean monk seal Monachus monachus

The Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) is a flagship species for marine conservation, but important aspects of its life history remain unknown. Concerns over imminent extinction motivated a nuclear DNA study of the species in its largest continuous subpopulation in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Despite recent evidence of partial subpopulation recovery, we demonstrate that there is no reason for complacency, as the species still shares several traits that are characteristic of a critically endangered species: Mediterranean monk seals in the eastern Mediterranean survive in three isolated and genetically depauperate population clusters, with small effective population sizes and high levels of inbreeding. Our results indicated male philopatry over short distances, which is unexpected for a polygynous mammal. Such a pattern may be explained by the species’ unique breeding behavior, in which males defend aquatic territories near breeding sites, while females are often forced to search for new pupping areas. Immediate action is necessary to reverse the downward spiral of population decline, inbreeding accumulation and loss of genetic diversity. We propose concrete conservation measures for the Mediterranean monk seal focusing on reducing anthropogenic threats, increasing the population size and genetic diversity, and thus improving the long-term prospects of survival

All carnivores are not equal in the rural people's view. Should we develop conservation plans for functional guilds or individual species in the face of conflicts?

We tested differences in attitudes towards bears, wolves and lynx among the rural public in Albania and Macedonia through information collected from a questionnaire survey (n = 759). Wolves were the species with the least positive attitudes among the rural public and had the lowest support for conservation compared with bears and lynx. In addition, conflict perception of wolves was higher than for bears and lynx. We argue that, based on species specific differences in public attitudes, conservation initiatives and management plans for large carnivores should deal with wolves separately from bears and lynx, as lower public support for wolves might jeopardise the conservation of the two other large carnivores. Bears and lynx can be potentially treated together in conservation initiatives based on the similar levels of public support for conservation, however, from a conflict-management point of view, all three species need to be addressed separately

Border Security Fencing and Wildlife:The End of the Transboundary Paradigm in Eurasia?

The ongoing refugee crisis in Europe has seen many countries rush to construct border security fencing to divert or control the flow of people. This follows a trend of border fence construction across Eurasia during the post-9/11 era. This development has gone largely unnoticed by conservation biologists during an era in which, ironically, transboundary cooperation has emerged as a conservation paradigm. These fences represent a major threat to wildlife because they can cause mortality, obstruct access to seasonally important resources, and reduce effective population size. We summarise the extent of the issue and propose concrete mitigation measures

Genome-wide diversity loss in reintroduced Eurasian lynx populations urges immediate conservation management

Reintroductions may produce populations that suffer from decreasing genetic diversity due to isolation, genetic drift and inbreeding if not assisted by careful management. To assess the genetic outcomes of reintroductions in large carnivores, we used the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) as a case study, which was the subject of several reintroduction attempts over the last 50 years. Although some restocking actions initially appeared successful, lynx recovery has stagnated in recent years. To reveal potential genetic causes of slow lynx recovery in Europe, we examined genome-wide patterns of genetic diversity and inbreeding using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in all six successfully reintroduced populations in central Europe, as well as twelve natural populations across Europe and Asia. All reintroduced populations showed lower genetic diversity and elevated levels of inbreeding compared to source and other natural populations. Recent inbreeding is prevalent in all reintroduced populations with varying degrees of severity; the most severe cases are those with the lowest number of founding individuals. Interestingly, we found evidence of lower genetic diversity and recent inbreeding in the source population for five reintroduced populations, begging the question if individuals taken from these source populations can safeguard sufficient genetic diversity for future reintroductions. Given the observed genetic consequences, we advocate for standardized regular genomic assessment of source and target populations as well as individuals prior to release. Our study provides compelling evidence for the serious consequences of founder population size on the genetic diversity of reintroduced large carnivore populations, which has broad implications for their conservation. Conservation genomics Inbreeding Large carnivore Runs of homozygosity Species translocation Population management Reintroduction biolog

Genome-wide diversity loss in reintroduced Eurasian lynx populations urges immediate conservation management

Reintroductions may produce populations that suffer from decreasing genetic diversity due to isolation, genetic drift and inbreeding if not assisted by careful management. To assess the genetic outcomes of reintroductions in large carnivores, we used the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) as a case study, which was the subject of several reintroduction attempts over the last 50 years. Although some restocking actions initially appeared successful, lynx recovery has stagnated in recent years. To reveal potential genetic causes of slow lynx recovery in Europe, we examined genome-wide patterns of genetic diversity and inbreeding using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in all six successfully reintroduced populations in central Europe, as well as twelve natural populations across Europe and Asia. All reintroduced populations showed lower genetic diversity and elevated levels of inbreeding compared to source and other natural populations. Recent inbreeding is prevalent in all reintroduced populations with varying degrees of severity; the most severe cases are those with the lowest number of founding individuals. Interestingly, we found evidence of lower genetic diversity and recent inbreeding in the source population for five reintroduced populations, begging the question if individuals taken from these source populations can safeguard sufficient genetic diversity for future reintroductions. Given the observed genetic consequences, we advocate for standardized regular genomic assessment of source and target populations as well as individuals prior to release. Our study provides compelling evidence for the serious consequences of founder population size on the genetic diversity of reintroduced large carnivore populations, which has broad implications for their conservation. Conservation genomics Inbreeding Large carnivore Runs of homozygosity Species translocation Population management Reintroduction biologypublishedVersio

European agreements for nature conservation need to explicitly address wolf-dog hybridisation

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Wolf population genetics in Europe:a systematic review, meta-analysis and suggestions for conservation and management

The grey wolf (Canis lupus) is an iconic large carnivore that has increasingly been recognized as an apex predator with intrinsic value and a keystone species. However, wolves have also long represented a primary source of human¿carnivore conflict, which has led to long-term persecution of wolves, resulting in a significant decrease in their numbers, genetic diversity and gene flow between populations. For more effective protection and management of wolf populations in Europe, robust scientific evidence is crucial. This review serves as an analytical summary of the main findings from wolf population genetic studies in Europe, covering major studies from the `pre-genomic era¿ and the first insights of the `genomics era¿. We analyse, summarize and discuss findings derived from analyses of three compartments of the mammalian genome with different inheritance modes: maternal (mitochondrial DNA), paternal (Y chromosome) and biparental [autosomal microsatellites and single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs)]. To describe large-scale trends and patterns of genetic variation in European wolf populations, we conducted a meta-analysis based on the results of previous microsatellite studies and also included new data, covering all 19 European countries for which wolf genetic information is available: Norway, Sweden, Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Germany, Belarus, Russia, Italy, Croatia, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Greece, Spain and Portugal. We compared different indices of genetic diversity in wolf populations and found a significant spatial trend in heterozygosity across Europe from south-west (lowest genetic diversity) to north-east (highest). The range of spatial autocorrelation calculated on the basis of three characteristics of genetic diversity was 650¿850¿km, suggesting that the genetic diversity of a given wolf population can be influenced by populations up to 850¿km away. As an important outcome of this synthesis, we discuss the most pressing issues threatening wolf populations in Europe, highlight important gaps in current knowledge, suggest solutions to overcome these limitations, and provide recommendations for science-based wolf conservation and management at regional and Europe-wide scales.Peer Reviewe

Border Security Fencing and Wildlife: The End of the Transboundary Paradigm in Eurasia? - Fig 1

<p>A: A border security fence being constructed along the border between Slovenia (SLO) and Croatia (HR) separates all three large carnivore (LC) species in Slovenia from the core population areas in the Dinaric Mountains, impacting their long-term viability, severing the Natura 2000 network, and decreasing the potential for natural recolonization of the Alps. B: The expected effect of the fence on brown bears. Points are individual bears, genetically sampled from bear mortalities between 2003 and 2013 (<i>N</i> = 1,414), which we genotyped using 20 polymorphic microsatellite loci. Lines showing full siblings or parent–offspring relations between individuals demonstrate that the border between both countries, where the fence is now being constructed, had, up until now, no effect on movement and gene flow in this bear population. The Trio ML method (Wang 2007) was used to estimate relatedness. Lines show <i>r</i> > 0.45. Darker lines are assignments only for bears sampled in 2012 and 2013 (<i>N</i> = 296). C,D: GPS telemetry tracks of lynx (C, <i>N</i> = 11) and wolves (D, <i>N</i> = 28) show that these animals had no problems crossing the border before construction of the fence, and even had home ranges that straddled the border.</p

Extent of border security fencing along national borders in Europe and Central Asia.

<p>Extent of border security fencing along national borders in Europe and Central Asia.</p