Noninvasive genetics provides insights into the population size and genetic diversity of an Amur tiger population in China

Abstract

Understanding population size and genetic diversity is critical for effective conservation of endangered species. The Amur tiger (Panthera tigris altaica) is the largest felid and a flagship species for wildlife conservation. Due to habitat loss and human activities, available habitat and population size are continuously shrinking. However, little is known about the true population size and genetic diversity of wild tiger populations in China. In this study, we collected 55 fecal samples and 1 hair sample to investigate the population size and genetic diversity of wild Amur tigers in Hunchun National Nature Reserve, Jilin Province, China. From the samples, we determined that 23 fecal samples and 1 hair sample were from 7 Amur tigers: 2 males, 4 females and 1 individual of unknown sex. Interestingly, 2 fecal samples that were presumed to be from tigers were from Amur leopards, highlighting the significant advantages of noninvasive genetics over traditional methods in studying rare and elusive animals. Analyses from this sample suggested that the genetic diversity of wild Amur tigers is much lower than that of Bengal tigers, consistent with previous findings. Furthermore, the genetic diversity of this Hunchun population in China was lower than that of the adjoining subpopulation in southwest Primorye Russia, likely due to sampling bias. Considering the small population size and relatively low genetic diversity, it is urgent to protect this endangered local subpopulation in China.

Population genetics reveals high connectivity of giant panda populations across human disturbance features in key nature reserve

“…Estimating and evaluating genetic variation is critical for the effective evaluation and management of endangered populations and species (Caniglia, Fabbri, Galaverni, Milanesi, & Randi, ; Du et al, ; Wang et al, ). Populations with higher genetic diversity are often inferred to have greater capacity to adapt to environmental change (Frankham, ).…”

“…Our CMR model estimate of giant panda population size within Wolong was also larger than results from the latest national survey, though not as drastically so (slightly over 50%). The potential for genotyping errors was explicitly addressed in our analysis (see Estimating and evaluating genetic variation is critical for the effective evaluation and management of endangered populations and species (Caniglia, Fabbri, Galaverni, Milanesi, & Randi, 2014;Du et al, 2016;Wang et al, 2016). Populations with higher genetic diversity are often inferred to have greater capacity to adapt to environmental change (Frankham, 2005 Table S1).…”

“…Managers are frequently tasked with monitoring population sizes, distributions, and connectivity in order to guide management actions. Noninvasive genetic sampling (NGS) is increasingly being used in the conservation and management of threatened animals, as it allows for the estimation of important population parameters such as total size, genetic diversity, and gene flow among populations (Barba et al, ; Schregel et al, ; Wang et al, ; Zhan et al, ). Analyses of gene flow grant inference about the functional connectivity of a landscape and have important implications for conservation.…”

Inbreeding status and implications for Amur tigers

“…While Laoyeling Mountain in China is adjacent to south‐west Primorye, dispersal beyond this was also severely restricted (Ning et al ., 2019). Previous research has shown low and worrying levels of genetic diversity of wild tigers both in China and Russia, so the research on inbreeding and its implications is necessary and urgent to not only better understand the genetic status of wild Amur tigers, but also to inform targeted conservation strategies (Russello et al ., 2004; Wang et al ., 2016 a ).…”

Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Two Captive Rhesus Monkey (Macaca Mulatta) Populations as Revealed by Microsatellite Markers

“…By comparison, SSR marker has many advantages including high abundance, random distribution in the entire genome, high information content, codominant inheritance, and reproducibility, which can reconstruct the genetic relationship among individuals, identify speci c species, and the blood relationship between individuals, etc. Therefore, they were preferred as the most popular and effective genetic markers in population census [16,17], estimating genetic diversity [18], diffusion model [19], population management and paternity test [20,21]. Nowadays, the applications of uorescent microsatellite markers further contribute to re ecting the microsatellite variance of allele size accurately on the chromosomal level [22].…”