The critically endangered vaquita is not doomed to extinction by inbreeding depression

06 de mayo de 2022

Les invitamos a leer el artículo: "The critically endangered vaquita is not doomed to extinction by inbreeding depression" donde participó el Dr. Sergio Nigenda, posdoctorante de la UGA-Langebio.

Autores: Jacqueline A. Robinson¹, Christopher C. Kyriazis², Sergio F. Nigenda-Morales³,Annabel C. Beichman⁴, Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho^5,6, Kelly M. Robertson⁷, Michael C. Fontaine^8,9,10,Robert K. Wayne², Kirk E. Lohmueller^2,11, Barbara L. Taylor⁷, Phillip A. Morin⁷.

1. Institute for Human Genetics, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, USA.
2. Department of Ecologyand Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
3. Advanced Genomics Unit, National Laboratory of Genomics for Biodiversity (Langebio), Center for Research and Advanced Studies (Cinvestav), Irapuato,Guanajuato, Mexico.
4. Department of Genome Sciences,University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
5. Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas/SEMARNAT, Ensenada, Mexico.
6. PNUD-Sinergia en la Comisión Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas, Ensenada, Mexico.
7. Southwest Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA),La Jolla, CA, USA.
8. MIVEGEC, Université de Montpellier, CNRS,IRD, Montpellier, France.
9. Centre de Recherche en Écologieet Évolution de la Santé (CREES), Montpellier, France.
10. Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES),University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands.
11. Departmentof Human Genetics, David Geffen School of Medicine,University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.

Felicitamos al estudiantado y profesorado que contribuyeron en esta investigación por su arduo trabajo.

Abstract: In cases of severe wildlife population decline, a key question is whether recovery efforts will be impeded by genetic factors, such as inbreeding depression. Decades of excess mortality from gillnet fishing have driven Mexico’s vaquita porpoise (Phocoena sinus) to ~10 remaining individuals. We analyzed whole-genome sequences from 20 vaquitas and integrated genomic and demographic information into stochastic, individual-based simulations to quantify the species’ recovery potential. Our analysis suggests that the vaquita’s historical rarity has resulted in a low burden of segregating deleterious variation, reducing the risk of inbreeding depression. Similarly, genome-informed simulations suggest that the vaquita can recover if bycatch mortality is immediately halted. This study provides hope for vaquitas and other naturally rare endangered species and highlights the utility of genomics in predicting extinction risk.