Recently Delisted Songbird Harbors Extensive Genomic Evidence of Inbreeding, Potentially Complicating Future Recovery
ABSTRACT The Kirtland's warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) is a rare migratory passerine species and habitat specialist of the North American Jack Pine Forests. Their near extinction in the 1970s classified them as endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. After decades of...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Evolutionary Applications |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70052 |
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| _version_ | 1832582873045008384 |
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| author | Anna María Calderón Andrew W. Wood Zachary A. Szpiech David P. L. Toews |
| author_facet | Anna María Calderón Andrew W. Wood Zachary A. Szpiech David P. L. Toews |
| author_sort | Anna María Calderón |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | ABSTRACT The Kirtland's warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) is a rare migratory passerine species and habitat specialist of the North American Jack Pine Forests. Their near extinction in the 1970s classified them as endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. After decades of intense conservation management, their population size recovered, and they were delisted from federal protection in 2019. We explore the genomic consequences of this harsh bottleneck and recovery by comparing the genomic architecture of two closely related species whose population sizes have remained large and stable, Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina) and American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). We used whole‐genome sequencing to characterize the distribution of runs of homozygosity and deleterious genetic variation. We find evidence that Kirtland's warblers exhibit genetic patterns consistent with recent inbreeding. Our results also show that Kirtland's warblers carry an excess proportion of deleterious variation, which could complicate management for this conservation‐reliant species. This analysis provides a genetically informed perspective that should be thoroughly considered when delisting other species from federal protections. Through the increasing accessibility of genome sequencing technology, it will be more feasible to monitor the genetic landscape of recovering populations to ensure their long‐term survival independent of conservation intervention. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-797848dc741d4edb8545bf8b530cbceb |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1752-4571 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Evolutionary Applications |
| spelling | doaj-art-797848dc741d4edb8545bf8b530cbceb2025-01-29T07:57:46ZengWileyEvolutionary Applications1752-45712024-12-011712n/an/a10.1111/eva.70052Recently Delisted Songbird Harbors Extensive Genomic Evidence of Inbreeding, Potentially Complicating Future RecoveryAnna María Calderón0Andrew W. Wood1Zachary A. Szpiech2David P. L. Toews3Department of Biology, 619 Mueller Laboratory Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USADepartment of Biology, 619 Mueller Laboratory Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USADepartment of Biology, 619 Mueller Laboratory Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USADepartment of Biology, 619 Mueller Laboratory Pennsylvania State University University Park Pennsylvania USAABSTRACT The Kirtland's warbler (Setophaga kirtlandii) is a rare migratory passerine species and habitat specialist of the North American Jack Pine Forests. Their near extinction in the 1970s classified them as endangered and protected under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. After decades of intense conservation management, their population size recovered, and they were delisted from federal protection in 2019. We explore the genomic consequences of this harsh bottleneck and recovery by comparing the genomic architecture of two closely related species whose population sizes have remained large and stable, Hooded Warblers (Setophaga citrina) and American Redstarts (Setophaga ruticilla). We used whole‐genome sequencing to characterize the distribution of runs of homozygosity and deleterious genetic variation. We find evidence that Kirtland's warblers exhibit genetic patterns consistent with recent inbreeding. Our results also show that Kirtland's warblers carry an excess proportion of deleterious variation, which could complicate management for this conservation‐reliant species. This analysis provides a genetically informed perspective that should be thoroughly considered when delisting other species from federal protections. Through the increasing accessibility of genome sequencing technology, it will be more feasible to monitor the genetic landscape of recovering populations to ensure their long‐term survival independent of conservation intervention.https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70052conservation genomicsgenetic loadinbreedingruns of homozygositySetophaga kirtlandii |
| spellingShingle | Anna María Calderón Andrew W. Wood Zachary A. Szpiech David P. L. Toews Recently Delisted Songbird Harbors Extensive Genomic Evidence of Inbreeding, Potentially Complicating Future Recovery Evolutionary Applications conservation genomics genetic load inbreeding runs of homozygosity Setophaga kirtlandii |
| title | Recently Delisted Songbird Harbors Extensive Genomic Evidence of Inbreeding, Potentially Complicating Future Recovery |
| title_full | Recently Delisted Songbird Harbors Extensive Genomic Evidence of Inbreeding, Potentially Complicating Future Recovery |
| title_fullStr | Recently Delisted Songbird Harbors Extensive Genomic Evidence of Inbreeding, Potentially Complicating Future Recovery |
| title_full_unstemmed | Recently Delisted Songbird Harbors Extensive Genomic Evidence of Inbreeding, Potentially Complicating Future Recovery |
| title_short | Recently Delisted Songbird Harbors Extensive Genomic Evidence of Inbreeding, Potentially Complicating Future Recovery |
| title_sort | recently delisted songbird harbors extensive genomic evidence of inbreeding potentially complicating future recovery |
| topic | conservation genomics genetic load inbreeding runs of homozygosity Setophaga kirtlandii |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/eva.70052 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT annamariacalderon recentlydelistedsongbirdharborsextensivegenomicevidenceofinbreedingpotentiallycomplicatingfuturerecovery AT andrewwwood recentlydelistedsongbirdharborsextensivegenomicevidenceofinbreedingpotentiallycomplicatingfuturerecovery AT zacharyaszpiech recentlydelistedsongbirdharborsextensivegenomicevidenceofinbreedingpotentiallycomplicatingfuturerecovery AT davidpltoews recentlydelistedsongbirdharborsextensivegenomicevidenceofinbreedingpotentiallycomplicatingfuturerecovery |