SNP genotyping of Lord Howe woodhen (Hypotaenidia sylvestris) from museum skins and contemporary blood samples

These data are from a conservation genetics project investigating population structure, dispersal and genetic bottlenecks in the Lord Howe woodhen Hypotaenidia sylvestris. This species recovered from near extinction in the 1970s to approximately 250 individuals in 2017. We used single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to genotype samples of both the contemporary population and 100-year-old museum specimens. We discovered strong population structuring between mountain and lowland "subpopulations" in both the contemporary and historic populations. This is indicative of restricted dispersal at fine spatial scales associated with rugged topography. There was also a decline in genetic diversity over the past century. We recommend ongoing genetic monitoring and translocations to increase genetic diversity within the re-established lowland subpopulation which although numerically stronger is genetically depleted relative to the mountain subpopulation.

Methods
DNA was extracted from blood samples taken from 67 wild-caught and released woodhens in 2017, and from 54 toepad biopsies from museum skins.  DNA was supplied  to Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) for analysis using their proprietary restriction-enzyme-based genome complexity reduction technology, termed DArTseq™. Complete methods are provided in the paper published in Animal Conservation.

本数据集源自一项针对豪勋爵岛秧鸡（Hypotaenidia sylvestris）的保护遗传学研究项目，旨在解析其种群结构、扩散模式与遗传瓶颈效应。该物种曾于20世纪70年代濒临灭绝，至2017年种群数量恢复至约250只。研究团队采用单核苷酸多态性（single nucleotide polymorphisms, SNPs）对当代种群样本以及百年历史的博物馆标本开展基因分型工作。

研究团队在当代种群与历史种群中均观测到，山地与低地“亚种群”间存在显著的种群分化格局，这反映出该物种在崎岖地形条件下存在小尺度的扩散限制。同时，过去一个世纪间该物种的遗传多样性呈现下降趋势。据此，研究团队建议开展持续性遗传监测，并实施种群易地转移计划，以提升重建的低地亚种群的遗传多样性——尽管该亚种群的个体数量更为庞大，但相较于山地亚种群，其遗传多样性已出现耗竭。

实验方法
2017年，研究人员从67只野外捕获后放归的豪勋爵岛秧鸡体内采集血液样本，并从54份博物馆剥制标本的趾垫组织中提取DNA。随后，研究团队将DNA提交至多样性阵列技术公司（Diversity Arrays Technology, DArT），采用其专有的基于限制性酶切的基因组复杂度降低技术DArTseq™进行分析。完整实验方法详见发表于《Animal Conservation》的研究论文。