Extensive Population Decline in the Tasmanian Devil Predates European Settlement and Devil Facial Tumour Disease

Overview

Journal Biol Lett

Specialty Biology

Date 2014 Nov 8

PMID 25376800

Citations 28

Authors

Anna Bruniche-Olsen

Menna E Jones

Jeremy J Austin

Christopher P Burridge

Barbara R Holland

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) was widespread in Australia during the Late Pleistocene but is now endemic to the island of Tasmania. Low genetic diversity combined with the spread of devil facial tumour disease have raised concerns for the species' long-term survival. Here, we investigate the origin of low genetic diversity by inferring the species' demographic history using temporal sampling with summary statistics, full-likelihood and approximate Bayesian computation methods. Our results show extensive population declines across Tasmania correlating with environmental changes around the last glacial maximum and following unstable climate related to increased 'El Niño-Southern Oscillation' activity.

Citing Articles

Detectability of runs of homozygosity is influenced by analysis parameters and population-specific demographic history.

Silva G, Harder A, Kirksey K, Mathur S, Willoughby J PLoS Comput Biol. 2024; 20(10):e1012566.

PMID: 39480880 PMC: 11556709. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1012566.

Adaptive potential in the face of a transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils.

Strickland K, Jones M, Storfer A, Hamede R, Hohenlohe P, Margres M Mol Ecol. 2024; 33(21):e17531.

PMID: 39340219 PMC: 11521764. DOI: 10.1111/mec.17531.

Population genomics of a predatory mammal reveals patterns of decline and impacts of exposure to toxic toads.

von Takach B, Ranjard L, Burridge C, Cameron S, Cremona T, Eldridge M Mol Ecol. 2022; 31(21):5468-5486.

PMID: 36056907 PMC: 9826391. DOI: 10.1111/mec.16680.

Restoring faith in conservation action: Maintaining wild genetic diversity through the Tasmanian devil insurance program.

Farquharson K, McLennan E, Cheng Y, Alexander L, Fox S, Lee A iScience. 2022; 25(7):104474.

PMID: 35754729 PMC: 9218385. DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104474.

Museum genomics reveals the rapid decline and extinction of Australian rodents since European settlement.

Roycroft E, MacDonald A, Moritz C, Moussalli A, Portela Miguez R, Rowe K Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2021; 118(27).

PMID: 34183409 PMC: 8271571. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2021390118.

References

Chikhi L, Sousa V, Luisi P, Goossens B, Beaumont M . The confounding effects of population structure, genetic diversity and the sampling scheme on the detection and quantification of population size changes. Genetics. 2010; 186(3):983-95. PMC: 2975287. DOI: 10.1534/genetics.110.118661. View

Prowse T, Johnson C, Bradshaw C, Brook B . An ecological regime shift resulting from disrupted predator-prey interactions in Holocene Australia. Ecology. 2014; 95(3):693-702. DOI: 10.1890/13-0746.1. View

Storz J, Beaumont M . Testing for genetic evidence of population expansion and contraction: an empirical analysis of microsatellite DNA variation using a hierarchical Bayesian model. Evolution. 2002; 56(1):154-66. DOI: 10.1111/j.0014-3820.2002.tb00857.x. View

Excoffier L, Smouse P, Quattro J . Analysis of molecular variance inferred from metric distances among DNA haplotypes: application to human mitochondrial DNA restriction data. Genetics. 1992; 131(2):479-91. PMC: 1205020. DOI: 10.1093/genetics/131.2.479. View

Pritchard J, Stephens M, Donnelly P . Inference of population structure using multilocus genotype data. Genetics. 2000; 155(2):945-59. PMC: 1461096. DOI: 10.1093/genetics/155.2.945. View

Garcia R, Cabeza M, Rahbek C, Araujo M . Multiple dimensions of climate change and their implications for biodiversity. Science. 2014; 344(6183):1247579. DOI: 10.1126/science.1247579. View

Beaumont M . Detecting population expansion and decline using microsatellites. Genetics. 1999; 153(4):2013-29. PMC: 1460853. DOI: 10.1093/genetics/153.4.2013. View

Miller W, Hayes V, Ratan A, Petersen D, Wittekindt N, Miller J . Genetic diversity and population structure of the endangered marsupial Sarcophilus harrisii (Tasmanian devil). Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011; 108(30):12348-53. PMC: 3145710. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1102838108. View

Siddle H, Marzec J, Cheng Y, Jones M, Belov K . MHC gene copy number variation in Tasmanian devils: implications for the spread of a contagious cancer. Proc Biol Sci. 2010; 277(1690):2001-6. PMC: 2880097. DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.2362. View

10.

Hollings T, Jones M, Mooney N, McCallum H . Trophic cascades following the disease-induced decline of an apex predator, the Tasmanian devil. Conserv Biol. 2013; 28(1):63-75. DOI: 10.1111/cobi.12152. View

11.

Letnic M, Fillios M, Crowther M . Could direct killing by larger dingoes have caused the extinction of the thylacine from mainland Australia?. PLoS One. 2012; 7(5):e34877. PMC: 3342279. DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0034877. View

12.

Cornuet J, Pudlo P, Veyssier J, Dehne-Garcia A, Gautier M, Leblois R . DIYABC v2.0: a software to make approximate Bayesian computation inferences about population history using single nucleotide polymorphism, DNA sequence and microsatellite data. Bioinformatics. 2014; 30(8):1187-1189. DOI: 10.1093/bioinformatics/btt763. View

13.

Jones M, Paetkau D, Geffen E, Moritz C . Genetic diversity and population structure of Tasmanian devils, the largest marsupial carnivore. Mol Ecol. 2004; 13(8):2197-209. DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294X.2004.02239.x. View