Genomic analyses show extremely perilous conservation status of African and Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Result code in IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F62157124%3A16170%2F22%3A43879978" target="_blank" >RIV/62157124:16170/22:43879978 - isvavai.cz</a>

Alternative codes found

RIV/62157124:16810/22:43879978

Result on the web

<a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.16577" target="_blank" >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.16577</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.16577" target="_blank" >10.1111/mec.16577</a>

Result language

angličtina

Original language name

Genomic analyses show extremely perilous conservation status of African and Asiatic cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus)

Original language description

We live in a world characterized by biodiversity loss and global environmental change. The extinction of large carnivores can have ramifying effects on ecosystems like an uncontrolled increase in wild herbivores, which in turn can have knock-on impacts on vegetation regeneration and communities. Cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) serve important ecosystem functions as apex predators; yet, they are quickly heading towards an uncertain future. Threatened by habitat loss, human-wildlife conflict and illegal trafficking, there are only approximately 7100 individuals remaining in nature. We present the most comprehensive genome-wide analysis of cheetah phylogeography and conservation genomics to date, assembling samples from nearly the entire current and past species&apos; range. We show that their phylogeography is more complex than previously thought, and that East African cheetahs (A. j. raineyi) are genetically distinct from Southern African individuals (A. j. jubatus), warranting their recognition as a distinct subspecies. We found strong genetic differentiation between all classically recognized subspecies, thus refuting earlier findings that cheetahs show only little differentiation. The strongest differentiation was observed between the Asiatic and all the African subspecies. We detected high inbreeding in the Critically Endangered Iranian (A. j. venaticus) and North-western (A. j. hecki) subspecies, and show that overall cheetahs, along with snow leopards, have the lowest genome-wide heterozygosity of all the big cats. This further emphasizes the cheetah&apos;s perilous conservation status. Our results provide novel and important information on cheetah phylogeography that can support evidence-based conservation policy decisions to help protect this species. This is especially relevant in light of ongoing and proposed translocations across subspecies boundaries, and the increasing threats of illegal trafficking.

Czech name

—

Czech description

—

Type

J_imp - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database

CEP classification

—

OECD FORD branch

10618 - Ecology

Project

<a href="/en/project/GF21-28637L" target="_blank" >GF21-28637L: Characterization of selected innate immunity genes in domestic and wild felids</a><br>

Continuities

P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)

Publication year

2022

Confidentiality

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Name of the periodical

Molecular Ecology

ISSN

0962-1083

e-ISSN

1365-294X

Volume of the periodical

31

Issue of the periodical within the volume

16

Country of publishing house

GB - UNITED KINGDOM

Number of pages

16

Pages from-to

4208-4223

UT code for WoS article

000826277600001

EID of the result in the Scopus database

2-s2.0-85134409491