Evidence of genetic erosion in a peripheral population of a North American game bird: the Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae)

Population extirpations are often precursors to species extinctions. Anthropogenic activities often lead to smaller populations that are more prone to extirpations and advocates for active conservation management have recently called for the preservation and monitoring of genetic diversity, particularly with regard to the adaptive potential of vulnerable populations. We used genomics and curated arrays of molecular markers, including those expected to impact key fitness traits, to quantify evidence of genomic erosion in core and peripheral populations of a gallinaceous bird. The Montezuma quail (Cyrtonyx montezumae) is a game species considered vulnerable to extirpation in Texas, but core populations in Arizona and New Mexico are robust and have the potential to serve as genetic reservoirs. We sequenced the Montezuma quail genome then developed a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) assay to quantify genetic variation, effective population sizes, signatures of natural selection, and pop...

种群局部灭绝往往是物种全球灭绝的前兆。人为活动常会导致种群规模缩减，使种群更易发生局部灭绝；倡导积极保护管理的学者近来呼吁开展遗传多样性（genetic diversity）的保护与监测，尤其需关注脆弱种群的适应潜力（adaptive potential）。本研究借助基因组学（genomics）技术与经过精心筛选的分子标记阵列（curated arrays of molecular markers），其中部分标记预计会影响关键适合度性状，量化评估了一种鸡形目鸟类核心种群与边缘种群的基因组侵蚀（genomic erosion）证据。蒙特祖马鹌鹑（*Cyrtonyx montezumae*）是一种猎用鸟类，在德克萨斯州被认为存在局部灭绝风险，但其在亚利桑那州与新墨西哥州的核心种群规模稳定，具备作为遗传储备库的潜力。我们完成了蒙特祖马鹌鹑的基因组测序，并开发了单核苷酸多态性（single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP）检测体系，以量化其遗传变异水平、有效种群大小、自然选择信号以及……