A Comparative Study on Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity Between Captive and Wild Amur Tigers in China
The Amur tiger(Panthera tigris altaica),revered as one of the largest feline species(Felidae),stands as a rep-resentative of rare wild species.Extant research underscores the perilous state of genetic diversity in wild Amur tiger popula-tions in China,accompanied by elevated levels of inbreeding.Despite the gradual increasing in the wild population of Amur tiger in China,the optimization of genetic diversity necessitates deliberate artificial interventions to more effectively facilitate their population recovery.Among the viable options,genetic rescue through rewilding was a pivotal strategy for bolstering the genetic health of this iconic species.Prior to initiating such genetic interventions,a meticulous examination of the ge-netic relationships between captive and extant wild individuals became imperative.This study leveraged high-throughput se-quencing data from fecal DNA to assemble mitochondrial genomes of 51 captive Amur tigers in Hengdaohezi and 13 wild counterparts in Wandashan and Laoyeling.Through comprehensive analysis,the genetic relationships were elucidated,and a preliminary assessment of mitochondrial genome diversity was conducted.The findings revealed a higher genetic di-versity in captive Amur tigers compared to their wild counterparts,with all genetic variations deemed benign.Significantly,certain captive individuals aligned with specific evolutionary branches within the wild population,harboring unique genetic variations absent in their wild counterparts-rendering them promising candidates for genetic rescue initiatives.Furthermore,distinct genetic differentiations were identified within captive populations,notably a branch was distant from the current wild population,indicating the existence of a potential unknown geographical population.Consequently,we recommend an ex-haustive exploration to trace the origins of this remote branch,determine its phylogeographic status,assess its conserva-tion significance,and position it as a reserve resource for reinstating historical genetic diversity in the wild.
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