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

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 ( ) to ~10 remaining individuals. We analyzed whol...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) 2022-05, Vol.376 (6593), p.635-639
Main Authors: Robinson, Jacqueline A, Kyriazis, Christopher C, Nigenda-Morales, Sergio F, Beichman, Annabel C, Rojas-Bracho, Lorenzo, Robertson, Kelly M, Fontaine, Michael C, Wayne, Robert K, Lohmueller, Kirk E, Taylor, Barbara L, Morin, Phillip A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal biology
Animal genetics
Animals
Biodiversity and Ecology
Bycatch
Conservation of Natural Resources
Endangered & extinct species
Endangered animals
Endangered Species
Environmental Sciences
Extinct species
Extinction
Genetic Variation
Genetics
Genome
Genomes
Genomics
Heterozygosity
Inbreeding
Inbreeding Depression
Life Sciences
Marine mammals
Phocoena - genetics
Population number
Populations and Evolution
Porpoises
Quantitative Methods
Risk
Species extinction
Vertebrate Zoology
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Summary: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 ( ) 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.
ISSN:0036-8075
1095-9203
DOI:10.1126/science.abm1742