Conservation prioritisation of genomic diversity to inform management of a declining mammal species

In our present age of extinction, conservation managers must use limited resources efficiently to conserve species and the genetic diversity within them. To conserve intraspecific variation, we must understand the geographic distribution of the variation and plan management actions that will cost-effectively maximise its retention. Here, we use a genome-wide single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) dataset consisting of 12,962 loci and 384 individuals to inform conservation management of the Endangered northern quoll (Dasyurus hallucatus), a carnivorous marsupial distributed patchily across northern Australia. Many northern quoll populations have declined or are currently declining, driven by the range-expanding cane toad (Rhinella marina). We (1) confirm population genomic structure, (2) investigate the contribution of each population to overall diversity, (3) conduct genomic prioritisation analyses at several spatial and hierarchical scales using popular conservation planning algorithms, ..., In total, we processed 568 samples (including 36 technical replicates) for DNA extraction and sequencing. Tissue samples were obtained from researchers who were working across the entire distribution range of the northern quoll. Tissue collection spanned nearly three decades, from 1993 to 2021, and included the regional jurisdictions of Queensland, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia. To capture live animals, various trapping designs tailored to local conditions and research aims were used, but generally 10–20 cage traps were arranged in small grids (e.g. 1 ha) at intervals of about 1 km along roadsides or small vehicle tracks. In most cases, our samples consisted of small (2 mm diameter) ear tissue samples collected from live individuals. Individuals were sexed by visual inspection during processing, prior to release. Due to low capture rates of the target species in many areas, we assigned a single a priori population name (sampling locality) to all samples obtained from a g..., , # Data for \"Conservation prioritisation of genomic diversity to inform management of a declining mammal species\"

**Author/Principal Investigator Information**
Name: Brenton von Takach
ORCID:
Institution: Curtin University
Email:

**Co-investigator Information**
Name: Sam Banks
ORCID:
Institution: Charles Darwin University
Email:

**Date of data collection**
1993 to 2021

**Geographic location of data collection**
Queensland, Northern Territory and Western Australia, Australia

**Description of the data and file structure**
This project uses ddRAD sequencing data from three rounds of sequencing of 568 northern quoll tissue samples. The first two rounds of sequencing data are available via the BioPlatforms Australia data portal (links below).

The third round of sequencing data is included as part of this data upload. This third round was paired end sequencing but only the forward reads were used and are included here. For full details see the published manuscript.

The three round...