Open AccessMuseum DNA reveals the demographic history of the endangered Seychelles warbler
Author(s) -
Spurgin Lewis G.,
Wright David J.,
Velde Marco,
Collar Nigel J.,
Komdeur Jan,
Burke Terry,
Richardson David S.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
evolutionary applications
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.776
H-Index - 68
ISSN - 1752-4571
DOI - 10.1111/eva.12191
Subject(s) - biology , endangered species , extinction (optical mineralogy) , ecology , warbler , population bottleneck , population , conservation biology , demographic history , conservation genetics , genetic diversity , effective population size , population size , inbreeding , evolutionary biology , demography , microsatellite , sociology , paleontology , allele , biochemistry , habitat , gene
The importance of evolutionary conservation – how understanding evolutionary forces can help guide conservation decisions – is widely recognized. However, the historical demography of many endangered species is unknown, despite the fact that this can have important implications for contemporary ecological processes and for extinction risk. Here, we reconstruct the population history of the Seychelles warbler ( A crocephalus sechellensis ) – an ecological model species. By the 1960s, this species was on the brink of extinction, but its previous history is unknown. We used DNA samples from contemporary and museum specimens spanning 140 years to reconstruct bottleneck history. We found a 25% reduction in genetic diversity between museum and contemporary populations, and strong genetic structure. Simulations indicate that the Seychelles warbler was bottlenecked from a large population, with an ancestral N e of several thousands falling to <50 within the last century. Such a rapid decline, due to anthropogenic factors, has important implications for extinction risk in the Seychelles warbler, and our results will inform conservation practices. Reconstructing the population history of this species also allows us to better understand patterns of genetic diversity, inbreeding and promiscuity in the contemporary populations. Our approaches can be applied across species to test ecological hypotheses and inform conservation.