Unsustainable anthropogenic mortality disrupts natal dispersal and promotes inbreeding in leopards.

Autor: Naude VN; Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa.; Panthera New York NY USA., Balme GA; Panthera New York NY USA., O'Riain J; Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa., Hunter LTB; Wildlife Conservation Society Bronx NY USA.; Centre for Functional Biodiversity School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu-Natal Durban South Africa., Fattebert J; Panthera New York NY USA.; Centre for Functional Biodiversity School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu-Natal Durban South Africa.; Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Department of Zoology and Physiology University of Wyoming Laramie WY USA., Dickerson T; Panthera New York NY USA., Bishop JM; Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Cape Town South Africa.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Ecology and evolution [Ecol Evol] 2020 Mar 18; Vol. 10 (8), pp. 3605-3619. Date of Electronic Publication: 2020 Mar 18 (Print Publication: 2020).
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6089
Abstrakt: Anthropogenic mortality of wildlife is typically inferred from measures of the absolute decline in population numbers. However, increasing evidence suggests that indirect demographic effects including changes to the age, sex, and social structure of populations, as well as the behavior of survivors, can profoundly impact population health and viability. Specifically, anthropogenic mortality of wildlife (especially when unsustainable) and fragmentation of the spatial distribution of individuals (home-ranges) could disrupt natal dispersal mechanisms, with long-term consequences to genetic structure, by compromising outbreeding behavior and gene flow. We investigate this threat in African leopards ( Panthera pardus pardus ), a polygynous felid with male-biased natal dispersal. Using a combination of spatial (home-range) and genetic (21 polymorphic microsatellites) data from 142 adult leopards, we contrast the structure of two South African populations with markedly different histories of anthropogenically linked mortality. Home-range overlap, parentage assignment, and spatio-genetic autocorrelation together show that historical exploitation of leopards in a recovering protected area has disrupted and reduced subadult male dispersal, thereby facilitating opportunistic male natal philopatry, with sons establishing territories closer to their mothers and sisters. The resultant kin-clustering in males of this historically exploited population is comparable to that of females in a well-protected reserve and has ultimately led to localized inbreeding. Our findings demonstrate novel evidence directly linking unsustainable anthropogenic mortality to inbreeding through disrupted dispersal in a large, solitary felid and expose the genetic consequences underlying this behavioral change. We therefore emphasize the importance of managing and mitigating the effects of unsustainable exploitation on local populations and increasing habitat fragmentation between contiguous protected areas by promoting in situ recovery and providing corridors of suitable habitat that maintain genetic connectivity.
Competing Interests: None declared.
(© 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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