Giraffe lineages are shaped by major ancient admixture events
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Giraffe lineages are shaped by major ancient admixture events. / Bertola, Laura D.; Quinn, Liam; Hanghøj, Kristian; Garcia-Erill, Genís; Rasmussen, Malthe Sebro; Balboa, Renzo F.; Meisner, Jonas; Bøggild, Thomas; Wang, Xi; Lin, Long; Nursyifa, Casia; Liu, Xiaodong; Li, Zilong; Chege, Mumbi; Moodley, Yoshan; Brüniche-Olsen, Anna; Kuja, Josiah; Schubert, Mikkel; Agaba, Morris; Santander, Cindy G.; Sinding, Mikkel Holger S.; Muwanika, Vincent; Masembe, Charles; Siegismund, Hans R.; Moltke, Ida; Albrechtsen, Anders; Heller, Rasmus.
In: Current Biology, Vol. 34, No. 7, 2024, p. 1576-1586.e5.Research output: Contribution to journal › Journal article › Research › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - Giraffe lineages are shaped by major ancient admixture events
AU - Bertola, Laura D.
AU - Quinn, Liam
AU - Hanghøj, Kristian
AU - Garcia-Erill, Genís
AU - Rasmussen, Malthe Sebro
AU - Balboa, Renzo F.
AU - Meisner, Jonas
AU - Bøggild, Thomas
AU - Wang, Xi
AU - Lin, Long
AU - Nursyifa, Casia
AU - Liu, Xiaodong
AU - Li, Zilong
AU - Chege, Mumbi
AU - Moodley, Yoshan
AU - Brüniche-Olsen, Anna
AU - Kuja, Josiah
AU - Schubert, Mikkel
AU - Agaba, Morris
AU - Santander, Cindy G.
AU - Sinding, Mikkel Holger S.
AU - Muwanika, Vincent
AU - Masembe, Charles
AU - Siegismund, Hans R.
AU - Moltke, Ida
AU - Albrechtsen, Anders
AU - Heller, Rasmus
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2024 The Author(s)
PY - 2024
Y1 - 2024
N2 - Strong genetic structure has prompted discussion regarding giraffe taxonomy,1,2,3 including a suggestion to split the giraffe into four species: Northern (Giraffa c. camelopardalis), Reticulated (G. c. reticulata), Masai (G. c. tippelskirchi), and Southern giraffes (G. c. giraffa).4,5,6 However, their evolutionary history is not yet fully resolved, as previous studies used a simple bifurcating model and did not explore the presence or extent of gene flow between lineages. We therefore inferred a model that incorporates various evolutionary processes to assess the drivers of contemporary giraffe diversity. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing data from 90 wild giraffes from 29 localities across their current distribution. The most basal divergence was dated to 280 kya. Genetic differentiation, FST, among major lineages ranged between 0.28 and 0.62, and we found significant levels of ancient gene flow between them. In particular, several analyses suggested that the Reticulated lineage evolved through admixture, with almost equal contribution from the Northern lineage and an ancestral lineage related to Masai and Southern giraffes. These new results highlight a scenario of strong differentiation despite gene flow, providing further context for the interpretation of giraffe diversity and the process of speciation in general. They also illustrate that conservation measures need to target various lineages and sublineages and that separate management strategies are needed to conserve giraffe diversity effectively. Given local extinctions and recent dramatic declines in many giraffe populations, this improved understanding of giraffe evolutionary history is relevant for conservation interventions, including reintroductions and reinforcements of existing populations.
AB - Strong genetic structure has prompted discussion regarding giraffe taxonomy,1,2,3 including a suggestion to split the giraffe into four species: Northern (Giraffa c. camelopardalis), Reticulated (G. c. reticulata), Masai (G. c. tippelskirchi), and Southern giraffes (G. c. giraffa).4,5,6 However, their evolutionary history is not yet fully resolved, as previous studies used a simple bifurcating model and did not explore the presence or extent of gene flow between lineages. We therefore inferred a model that incorporates various evolutionary processes to assess the drivers of contemporary giraffe diversity. We analyzed whole-genome sequencing data from 90 wild giraffes from 29 localities across their current distribution. The most basal divergence was dated to 280 kya. Genetic differentiation, FST, among major lineages ranged between 0.28 and 0.62, and we found significant levels of ancient gene flow between them. In particular, several analyses suggested that the Reticulated lineage evolved through admixture, with almost equal contribution from the Northern lineage and an ancestral lineage related to Masai and Southern giraffes. These new results highlight a scenario of strong differentiation despite gene flow, providing further context for the interpretation of giraffe diversity and the process of speciation in general. They also illustrate that conservation measures need to target various lineages and sublineages and that separate management strategies are needed to conserve giraffe diversity effectively. Given local extinctions and recent dramatic declines in many giraffe populations, this improved understanding of giraffe evolutionary history is relevant for conservation interventions, including reintroductions and reinforcements of existing populations.
KW - Africa
KW - biodiversity
KW - conservation
KW - evolution
KW - evolutionary history
KW - gene flow
KW - genomic diversity
KW - introgression
KW - population structure
KW - speciation
U2 - 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.051
DO - 10.1016/j.cub.2024.02.051
M3 - Journal article
C2 - 38479386
AN - SCOPUS:85189016736
VL - 34
SP - 1576-1586.e5
JO - Current Biology
JF - Current Biology
SN - 0960-9822
IS - 7
ER -
ID: 387870400