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Introgression and disruption of migration routes have shaped the genetic integrity of wildebeest populations

Liu, Xiaodong LU ; Lin, Long ; Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S ; Bertola, Laura D ; Hanghøj, Kristian ; Quinn, Liam ; Garcia-Erill, Genís ; Rasmussen, Malthe Sebro ; Schubert, Mikkel and Pečnerová, Patrícia LU orcid , et al. (2024) In Nature Communications 15.
Abstract

The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is a keystone species in savanna ecosystems from southern to eastern Africa, and is well known for its spectacular migrations and locally extreme abundance. In contrast, the black wildebeest (C. gnou) is endemic to southern Africa, barely escaped extinction in the 1900s and is feared to be in danger of genetic swamping from the blue wildebeest. Despite the ecological importance of the wildebeest, there is a lack of understanding of how its unique migratory ecology has affected its gene flow, genetic structure and phylogeography. Here, we analyze whole genomes from 121 blue and 22 black wildebeest across the genus' range. We find discrete genetic structure consistent with the morphologically... (More)

The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is a keystone species in savanna ecosystems from southern to eastern Africa, and is well known for its spectacular migrations and locally extreme abundance. In contrast, the black wildebeest (C. gnou) is endemic to southern Africa, barely escaped extinction in the 1900s and is feared to be in danger of genetic swamping from the blue wildebeest. Despite the ecological importance of the wildebeest, there is a lack of understanding of how its unique migratory ecology has affected its gene flow, genetic structure and phylogeography. Here, we analyze whole genomes from 121 blue and 22 black wildebeest across the genus' range. We find discrete genetic structure consistent with the morphologically defined subspecies. Unexpectedly, our analyses reveal no signs of recent interspecific admixture, but rather a late Pleistocene introgression of black wildebeest into the southern blue wildebeest populations. Finally, we find that migratory blue wildebeest populations exhibit a combination of long-range panmixia, higher genetic diversity and lower inbreeding levels compared to neighboring populations whose migration has recently been disrupted. These findings provide crucial insights into the evolutionary history of the wildebeest, and tangible genetic evidence for the negative effects of anthropogenic activities on highly migratory ungulates.

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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Animals, Antelopes/genetics, Ecosystem, Africa, Eastern, Africa, Southern, Anthropogenic Effects
in
Nature Communications
volume
15
article number
2921
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:85190273859
  • pmid:38609362
ISSN
2041-1723
DOI
10.1038/s41467-024-47015-y
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
4d60fe9b-fe44-4e8d-a7d4-f6e9dca79985
date added to LUP
2024-10-10 15:54:00
date last changed
2025-07-05 03:35:10
@article{4d60fe9b-fe44-4e8d-a7d4-f6e9dca79985,
  abstract     = {{<p>The blue wildebeest (Connochaetes taurinus) is a keystone species in savanna ecosystems from southern to eastern Africa, and is well known for its spectacular migrations and locally extreme abundance. In contrast, the black wildebeest (C. gnou) is endemic to southern Africa, barely escaped extinction in the 1900s and is feared to be in danger of genetic swamping from the blue wildebeest. Despite the ecological importance of the wildebeest, there is a lack of understanding of how its unique migratory ecology has affected its gene flow, genetic structure and phylogeography. Here, we analyze whole genomes from 121 blue and 22 black wildebeest across the genus' range. We find discrete genetic structure consistent with the morphologically defined subspecies. Unexpectedly, our analyses reveal no signs of recent interspecific admixture, but rather a late Pleistocene introgression of black wildebeest into the southern blue wildebeest populations. Finally, we find that migratory blue wildebeest populations exhibit a combination of long-range panmixia, higher genetic diversity and lower inbreeding levels compared to neighboring populations whose migration has recently been disrupted. These findings provide crucial insights into the evolutionary history of the wildebeest, and tangible genetic evidence for the negative effects of anthropogenic activities on highly migratory ungulates.</p>}},
  author       = {{Liu, Xiaodong and Lin, Long and Sinding, Mikkel-Holger S and Bertola, Laura D and Hanghøj, Kristian and Quinn, Liam and Garcia-Erill, Genís and Rasmussen, Malthe Sebro and Schubert, Mikkel and Pečnerová, Patrícia and Balboa, Renzo F and Li, Zilong and Heaton, Michael P and Smith, Timothy P L and Pinto, Rui Resende and Wang, Xi and Kuja, Josiah and Brüniche-Olsen, Anna and Meisner, Jonas and Santander, Cindy G and Ogutu, Joseph O and Masembe, Charles and da Fonseca, Rute R and Muwanika, Vincent and Siegismund, Hans R and Albrechtsen, Anders and Moltke, Ida and Heller, Rasmus}},
  issn         = {{2041-1723}},
  keywords     = {{Animals; Antelopes/genetics; Ecosystem; Africa, Eastern; Africa, Southern; Anthropogenic Effects}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Nature Communications}},
  title        = {{Introgression and disruption of migration routes have shaped the genetic integrity of wildebeest populations}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-47015-y}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s41467-024-47015-y}},
  volume       = {{15}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}