Population genomics through time provides insights into the consequences of decline and rapid demographic recovery through head-starting in a Galapagos giant tortoise.

ABSTRACT: Population genetic theory related to the consequences of rapid population decline is well-developed, but there are very few empirical studies where sampling was conducted before and after a known bottleneck event. Such knowledge is of particular importance for species restoration, given links between genetic diversity and the probability of long-term persistence. To directly evaluate the relationship between current genetic diversity and past demographic events, we collected genome-wide single nucleotide polymorphism data from prebottleneck historical (c.1906) and postbottleneck contemporary (c.2014) samples of Pinzón giant tortoises (Chelonoidis duncanensis; n = 25 and 149 individuals, respectively) endemic to a single island in the Galapagos. Pinzón giant tortoises h

SUBMITTER: Jensen EL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6231475 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature