TY - JOUR
T1 - Population genomic diversity and structure in the golden bandicoot
T2 - a history of isolation, extirpation, and conservation
AU - Rick, Kate
AU - Byrne, Margaret
AU - Cameron, Skye
AU - Cooper, Steve J.B.
AU - Dunlop, Judy
AU - Hill, Brydie
AU - Lohr, Cheryl
AU - Mitchell, Nicola J.
AU - Moritz, Craig
AU - Travouillon, Kenny J.
AU - von Takach, Brenton
AU - Ottewell, Kym
N1 - Funding Information:
We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the lands on which this research was conducted and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. We thank the following people and organisations for providing tissue samples: Lesley Gibson, Kelly Rayner, Carly Bishop, Adrian Wayne, Colleen Sims and Neil Thomas from Biodiversity and Conservation Science, Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions; Flora and Fauna Division, Department of Environment, Parks and Water Security, Northern Territory Government; Annika Spiridis, Melissa Bruton, Rosie Hohnen, James Smith and John Kanowski from Australian Wildlife Conservancy; Dambimangari Rangers from Dambimangari Aboriginal Corporation, Bruce Pascoe from Alice Springs Desert Park; Peter Spencer, Alison Hillman and Kate Bryant from Murdoch University and Brian Chambers from The University of Western Australia. Samples were collected with approval from various Animal Ethics committees under the following permits: 2019-38 C, 2016/41, 2011/13, 2010/02, 2019-01 A, 2007/10, 2000/19, 2010/35, 2010/01, 2018-02B, A01001 CDU (06 – 09), A07023 CDU (09 – 13), A13026 CDU (13–16). We also thank Shelly McArthur from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions for undertaking DNA extractions. We acknowledge the contribution of the Oz Mammals Genomics Initiative consortium in the generation of data used in this publication. The Initiative is supported by funding from Bioplatforms Australia through the Australian Government National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS). This work was supported by resources provided by the Pawsey Supercomputing Research Centre with funding from the Australian Government and the Government of Western Australia. K.R. was supported by a University of Western Australia Postgraduate Award and Australian Research Council Linkage Grant LP180100315. We thank three anonymous reviewers for their constructive comments which greatly improved the manuscript.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023, The Author(s).
PY - 2023/12
Y1 - 2023/12
N2 - Using genetic information to develop and implement conservation programs is vital for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. Evaluation of the genetic variability within and among remnant populations can inform management of both natural and translocated populations to maximise species’ adaptive potential, mitigate negative impacts of inbreeding, and subsequently minimise risk of extinction. Here we use reduced representation sequencing to undertake a genetic assessment of the golden bandicoot (Isoodon auratus), a threatened marsupial endemic to Australia. The currently recognised taxon consists of three subspecies distributed among multiple natural and translocated populations. After confirming the genetic distinctiveness of I. auratus from two closely related taxa, I. fusciventer and I. macrourus, we identified four genetic clusters within I. auratus. These clusters exhibited substantial genetic differentiation (pairwise FST values ranging from 0.18 to 0.65, pairwise DXY ranging from 0.1 to 0.168), reflecting long-term isolation of some populations on offshore islands and the influence of genetic drift. Mainland natural populations in the Kimberley region had the highest genetic diversity and the largest contribution to overall allelic and gene diversity compared to both natural and translocated island populations. A population translocated to Guluwuru Island in the Northern Territory had the lowest genetic diversity. Our data suggest that island populations can appear genetically unique due to genetic drift and this needs to be taken into account when considering genetic diversity in conservation efforts to maintain overall genetic diversity of the species. We effectively demonstrate how genomic information can guide practical conservation planning, especially when declining species are represented by multiple isolated populations.
AB - Using genetic information to develop and implement conservation programs is vital for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. Evaluation of the genetic variability within and among remnant populations can inform management of both natural and translocated populations to maximise species’ adaptive potential, mitigate negative impacts of inbreeding, and subsequently minimise risk of extinction. Here we use reduced representation sequencing to undertake a genetic assessment of the golden bandicoot (Isoodon auratus), a threatened marsupial endemic to Australia. The currently recognised taxon consists of three subspecies distributed among multiple natural and translocated populations. After confirming the genetic distinctiveness of I. auratus from two closely related taxa, I. fusciventer and I. macrourus, we identified four genetic clusters within I. auratus. These clusters exhibited substantial genetic differentiation (pairwise FST values ranging from 0.18 to 0.65, pairwise DXY ranging from 0.1 to 0.168), reflecting long-term isolation of some populations on offshore islands and the influence of genetic drift. Mainland natural populations in the Kimberley region had the highest genetic diversity and the largest contribution to overall allelic and gene diversity compared to both natural and translocated island populations. A population translocated to Guluwuru Island in the Northern Territory had the lowest genetic diversity. Our data suggest that island populations can appear genetically unique due to genetic drift and this needs to be taken into account when considering genetic diversity in conservation efforts to maintain overall genetic diversity of the species. We effectively demonstrate how genomic information can guide practical conservation planning, especially when declining species are represented by multiple isolated populations.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85173909533&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1038/s41437-023-00653-2
DO - 10.1038/s41437-023-00653-2
M3 - Article
C2 - 37806995
AN - SCOPUS:85173909533
SN - 0018-067X
VL - 131
SP - 374
EP - 386
JO - Heredity
JF - Heredity
IS - 5-6
ER -