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Smith D, Abeli T, Bruns EB, Dalrymple SE, Foster J, Gilbert TC, Hogg CJ, Lloyd NA, Meyer A, Moehrenschlager A, Murrell O, Rodriguez JP, Smith PP, Terry A, Ewen JG. Extinct in the wild: The precarious state of Earth's most threatened group of species. Science 2023; 379:eadd2889. [PMID: 36821678 DOI: 10.1126/science.add2889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/25/2023]
Abstract
Extinct in the Wild (EW) species are placed at the highest risk of extinction under the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, but the extent and variation in this risk have never been evaluated. Harnessing global databases of ex situ animal and plant holdings, we report on the perilous state of EW species. Most EW animal species-already compromised by their small number of founders-are maintained at population sizes far below the thresholds necessary to ensure demographic security. Most EW plant species depend on live propagation by a small number of botanic gardens, with a minority secured at seed bank institutions. Both extinctions and recoveries are possible fates for EW species. We urgently call for international effort to enable the latter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Donal Smith
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
| | - Thomas Abeli
- Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, Roma, Italy
- IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Calgary, Canada
| | - Emily Beckman Bruns
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International-US, San Marino, CA, USA
- Chicago Botanic Gardens, Chicago, IL, USA
| | - Sarah E Dalrymple
- IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Calgary, Canada
- School of Biological and Environmental Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool, UK
| | - Jeremy Foster
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International-US, San Marino, CA, USA
- Chicago Botanic Gardens, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Tania C Gilbert
- IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Calgary, Canada
- Marwell Wildlife, Hampshire, UK
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
| | - Carolyn J Hogg
- IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Calgary, Canada
- Faculty of Science, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Natasha A Lloyd
- IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Calgary, Canada
- Wilder Institute / Calgary Zoo, Calgary, Canada
| | - Abby Meyer
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International-US, San Marino, CA, USA
| | - Axel Moehrenschlager
- IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Calgary, Canada
- Wilder Institute / Calgary Zoo, Calgary, Canada
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Canada
| | - Olivia Murrell
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International-US, San Marino, CA, USA
- Chicago Botanic Gardens, Chicago, IL, USA
- Northwestern University, Evanston, IL, USA
| | - Jon Paul Rodriguez
- IUCN Species Survival Commission, Caracas, Venezuela
- Instituto Venezolano de Investigaciones Científicas, and Provita, Caracas, Venezuela
| | - Paul P Smith
- Botanic Gardens Conservation International, Surrey, UK
| | | | - John G Ewen
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
- IUCN SSC Conservation Translocation Specialist Group, Calgary, Canada
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2
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Heckeberg NS, Zachos FE, Kierdorf U. Antler tine homologies and cervid systematics: A review of past and present controversies with special emphasis on Elaphurus davidianus. Anat Rec (Hoboken) 2023; 306:5-28. [PMID: 35578743 DOI: 10.1002/ar.24956] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2022] [Revised: 04/26/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
Antlers are the most conspicuous trait of cervids and have been used in the past to establish a classification of their fossil and living representatives. Since the availability of molecular data, morphological characters have generally become less important for phylogenetic reconstructions. In recent years, however, the appreciation of morphological characters has increased, and they are now more frequently used in addition to molecular data to reconstruct the evolutionary history of cervids. A persistent challenge when using antler traits in deer systematics is finding a consensus on the homology of structures. Here, we review early and recent attempts to homologize antler structures and objections to this approach, compare and evaluate recent advances on antler homologies, and critically discuss these different views in order to offer a basis for further scientific exchange on the topic. We further present some developmental aspects of antler branching patterns and discuss their potential for reconstructing cervid systematics. The use of heterogeneous data for reconstructing phylogenies has resulted in partly conflicting hypotheses on the systematic position of certain cervid species, on which we also elaborate here. We address current discussions on the use of different molecular markers in cervid systematics and the question whether antler morphology and molecular data can provide a consistent picture on the evolutionary history of cervids. In this context, special attention is given to the antler morphology and the systematic position of the enigmatic Pere David's deer (Elaphurus davidianus).
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicola S Heckeberg
- Staatliches Museum für Naturkunde Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany.,Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, Leibniz Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science, Berlin, Germany
| | - Frank E Zachos
- Natural History Museum Vienna, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Genetics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa.,Department of Evolutionary Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Uwe Kierdorf
- Department of Biology, University of Hildesheim, Hildesheim, Germany
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3
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Perrin-Stowe TIN, Ishida Y, Terrill EE, Beetem D, Ryder OA, Novakofski JE, Mateus-Pinilla NE, Roca AL. Variation in the PRNP gene of Pere David’s deer (Elaphurus davidianus) may impact genetic vulnerability to chronic wasting disease. CONSERV GENET 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-021-01419-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
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4
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Turvey ST, Walsh C, Hansford JP, Crees JJ, Bielby J, Duncan C, Hu K, Hudson MA. Complementarity, completeness and quality of long-term faunal archives in an Asian biodiversity hotspot. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2019; 374:20190217. [PMID: 31679488 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Long-term baselines on biodiversity change through time are crucial to inform conservation decision-making in biodiversity hotspots, but environmental archives remain unavailable for many regions. Extensive palaeontological, zooarchaeological and historical records and indigenous knowledge about past environmental conditions exist for China, a megadiverse country experiencing large-scale biodiversity loss, but their potential to understand past human-caused faunal turnover is not fully assessed. We investigate a series of complementary environmental archives to evaluate the quality of the Holocene-historical faunal record of Hainan Island, China's southernmost province, for establishing new baselines on postglacial mammalian diversity and extinction dynamics. Synthesis of multiple archives provides an integrated model of long-term biodiversity change, revealing that Hainan has experienced protracted and ongoing human-caused depletion of its mammal fauna from prehistory to the present, and that past baselines can inform practical conservation management. However, China's Holocene-historical archives exhibit substantial incompleteness and bias at regional and country-wide scales, with limited taxonomic representation especially for small-bodied species, and poor sampling of high-elevation landscapes facing current-day climate change risks. Establishing a clearer understanding of the quality of environmental archives in threatened ecoregions, and their ability to provide a meaningful understanding of the past, is needed to identify future conservation-relevant historical research priorities. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The past is a foreign country: how much can the fossil record actually inform conservation?'
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Affiliation(s)
- Samuel T Turvey
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Connor Walsh
- Imperial College London, Silwood Park Campus, Ascot SL5 7PY, UK
| | - James P Hansford
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.,Department of Biological Sciences, Northern Illinois University, DeKalb, IL 60115, USA
| | - Jennifer J Crees
- Department of Earth Sciences, Natural History Museum, London SW7 5BD, UK
| | - Jon Bielby
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology, Liverpool John Moores University, Liverpool L3 8PY, UK
| | - Clare Duncan
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Kaijin Hu
- School of Sociology and Anthropology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, People's Republic of China
| | - Michael A Hudson
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regent's Park, London NW1 4RY, UK.,Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust, Les Augrès Manor, Trinity, Jersey JE3 5BP, UK
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5
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Turvey ST, Marr MM, Barnes I, Brace S, Tapley B, Murphy RW, Zhao E, Cunningham AA. Historical museum collections clarify the evolutionary history of cryptic species radiation in the world's largest amphibians. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:10070-10084. [PMID: 31624538 PMCID: PMC6787787 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5257] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Revised: 04/02/2019] [Accepted: 04/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/06/2022] Open
Abstract
Inaccurate taxonomic assessment of threatened populations can hinder conservation prioritization and management, with human-mediated population movements obscuring biogeographic patterns and confounding reconstructions of evolutionary history. Giant salamanders were formerly distributed widely across China, and are interpreted as a single species, Andrias davidianus. Previous phylogenetic studies have identified distinct Chinese giant salamander lineages but were unable to associate these consistently with different landscapes, probably because population structure has been modified by human-mediated translocations for recent commercial farming. We investigated the evolutionary history and relationships of allopatric Chinese giant salamander populations with Next-Generation Sequencing methods, using historical museum specimens and late 20th-century samples, and retrieved partial or near-complete mitogenomes for 17 individuals. Samples from populations unlikely to have been affected by translocations form three clades from separate regions of China, spatially congruent with isolation by either major river drainages or mountain ranges. Pliocene-Pleistocene divergences for these clades are consistent with topographic modification of southern China associated with uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. General Mixed Yule Coalescent model analysis indicates that these clades represent separate species: Andrias davidianus (Blanchard, 1871) (northern Yangtze/Sichuan), Andrias sligoi (Boulenger, 1924) (Pearl/Nanling), and an undescribed species (Huangshan). Andrias sligoi is possibly the world's largest amphibian. Inclusion of additional reportedly wild samples from areas of known giant salamander exploitation and movement leads to increasing loss of biogeographic signal. Wild Chinese giant salamander populations are now critically depleted or extirpated, and conservation actions should be updated to recognize the existence of multiple species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ian Barnes
- Earth Sciences DepartmentNatural History MuseumLondonUK
| | - Selina Brace
- Earth Sciences DepartmentNatural History MuseumLondonUK
| | | | - Robert W. Murphy
- Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation BiologyRoyal Ontario MuseumTorontoOntarioCanada
- State Key Laboratory of Genetic Resources and Evolution, Kunming Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesKunmingChina
| | - Ermi Zhao
- Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
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6
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Angelici FM, Ciucani MM, Angelini S, Annesi F, Caniglia R, Castiglia R, Fabbri E, Galaverni M, Palumbo D, Ravegnini G, Rossi L, Siracusa AM, Cilli E. The Sicilian Wolf: Genetic Identity of a Recently Extinct Insular Population. Zoolog Sci 2019; 36:189-197. [PMID: 31251487 DOI: 10.2108/zs180180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2018] [Accepted: 01/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Historically, many local grey wolf (Canis lupus) populations have undergone substantial reductions in size or become extinct. Among these, the wolf population once living in Sicily, the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, was completely eradicated by human activity in the early decades of the 20th century. To gain a better understanding of the genetic identity of the Sicilian wolf, we used techniques for the study of ancient DNA to analyze the mitochondrial (mt) variability of six specimens stored in Italian museums. We were able to amplify a diagnostic mtDNA fragment of the control region (CR) in four of the samples. Two of the samples shared the same haplotype, differing by two substitutions from the currently most diffused Italian wolf haplotype (W14) and one substitution from the only other Italian haplotype (W16). The third sample showed a previously unreported wolf-like haplotype, and the fourth a haplotype commonly found in dogs. All of the wolf haplotypes analyzed in this study belonged to the mitochondrial haplogroup that includes haplotypes detected in all the known European Pleistocene wolves and in several modern southern European populations. Unfortunately, this endemic island population, which exhibited unique mtDNA variability, was definitively lost before it was possible to understand its taxonomic uniqueness and conservational value.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marta M Ciucani
- Laboratories of Physical Anthropology and Ancient DNA, Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy.,Natural History Museum of Denmark, Copenhagen, Denmark
| | - Sabrina Angelini
- Dip.to Farmacia e Biotecnologia, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Flavia Annesi
- Dip.to Biologia e Biotecnologie 'C. Darwin', Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Romolo Caniglia
- Area per la Genetica della Conservazione BIO-CGE, ISPRA, Ozzano dell'Emilia, Bologna, Italy,
| | - Riccardo Castiglia
- Dip.to Biologia e Biotecnologie 'C. Darwin', Sapienza Università di Roma, Roma, Italy
| | - Elena Fabbri
- Area per la Genetica della Conservazione BIO-CGE, ISPRA, Ozzano dell'Emilia, Bologna, Italy
| | | | - Davide Palumbo
- Museo di Ecologia di Cesena, Piazza Pietro Zangheri, 6, 47521 Cesena (FC), Italy
| | - Gloria Ravegnini
- Dip.to Farmacia e Biotecnologia, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Lorenzo Rossi
- Museo di Ecologia di Cesena, Piazza Pietro Zangheri, 6, 47521 Cesena (FC), Italy
| | - Agatino M Siracusa
- Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali - Sez. Biologia Animale "Marcello La Greca", Catania, Italy
| | - Elisabetta Cilli
- Laboratories of Physical Anthropology and Ancient DNA, Department of Cultural Heritage, University of Bologna, Ravenna, Italy
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