Data from: Demographic inference from whole-genome and RAD sequencing data suggests alternating human impacts on goose populations since the last ice age

We investigated how population changes and fluctuations in the pink-footed goose might have been affected by climatic and anthropogenic factors. First, genomic data confirmed the existence of two separate populations: western (Iceland) and eastern (Svalbard/Denmark). Second, emographic inference suggests that the species survived the last glacial period as a single ancestral population with a low population size (100-1,000 individuals) that split into the current populations at the end of the Last Glacial Maximum with Iceland being the most plausible glacial refuge. While population changes during the last glaciation were clearly environmental, we hypothesize that more recent demographic changes are human-related: (1) the inferred population increase in the Neolithic is due to deforestation to establish new lands for agriculture, increasing available habitat for pink-footed geese (2) the decline inferred during the Middle Ages is due to human persecution and (3) improved protection explains the increasing demographic trends during the 20th century. Our results suggest both environmental (during glacial cycles) and anthropogenic effects (more recent) can be a threat to species survival.本研究探讨了气候与人为因素对粉脚雁（Pink-footed Goose）种群变化及波动的影响。其一，基因组数据证实该物种存在两个独立种群：西部种群（冰岛）与东部种群（斯瓦尔巴群岛/丹麦）。其二，种群动态推断（Demographic Inference）结果显示，该物种在末次冰期以种群规模极小（100~1000只个体）的单一祖先种群形式存续，并在末次盛冰期末期分化为当前的两个种群，其中冰岛被认为是最可信的冰期避难所。尽管末次冰期期间的种群变化显然由环境因素驱动，但我们推测近期的种群动态变化与人类活动密切相关：（1）新石器时代的种群增长推断源于农业开垦所需的森林砍伐，该过程为粉脚雁增加了可利用栖息地；（2）中世纪时期的种群下降推断归咎于人类猎捕；（3）保护措施的完善解释了20世纪的种群增长趋势。本研究结果表明，冰期循环相关的环境因素与近期的人为活动均可能对物种存续构成威胁。