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Ex situ versus in situ Eurasian lynx populations: implications for successful breeding and genetic rescue

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Abstract

The main aim of ex situ programmes in conservation is to provide a suitable source of individuals for future reintroductions or reinforcement of existing populations. A fundamental prerequisite is creating and maintaining healthy and sustainable captive populations that show high levels of phenotypic and genetic similarity to their wild counterparts. The Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) is a model of a locally extinct species that has been subject to long-term captive breeding and of past and ongoing reintroduction efforts. To test for genetic suitability of ex situ population, a comparative genetic evaluation including in situ populations was undertaken. The assignment analysis of 97 captive lynx from 45 European zoos, wildlife parks and private breeds was performed using 124 lynx from different wild Eurasian populations belonging to three evolutionary lineages: the Carpathian, the Northern, and the Siberian lynx. The results showed a high proportion of Siberian lynx (51%) in the European captive lynx population. Remaining captive animals were assigned to either the Carpathian (28%), or the Northern lynx lineage (13%). Admixture between lineages was rather low (8%). Notably, no or very low difference in genetic diversity was detected between the wild and captive lynx populations. Our results support the potential of the captive population to provide genetically suitable individuals for genetic rescue programmes. The transfer of genes between isolated populations, including those in captivity, should become an important management tool to preserve genetic variability and prevent inbreeding depression in native and reintroduced populations of this iconic predator.

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Individuals genotypes associated with this study are available within the supplementary material of this article.

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Acknowledgements

The study was financially supported by the Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic (projects of Liberec Zoo: 60453/ENV/12-2239/630/12 and 49730/ENV/13-2154/630/13), by INTER-EXCELLENCE - INTER-COST (LTC20021), by EEA grants (project MGSII-40), and by Institutional Research Plan (RVO: 68081766). We would like to thank previous ESB keeper Lars Versteege and zoo’s and other breeding facilities, who participated in this study, for providing samples of lynx in their care. Further, we thank to PLA Administration Beskydy, ČSOP Salamandr, Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, Ole Anders, Beňadik Machciník, Lilli Middelhoff, and Jerguš Tesák for their valuable help with sample collection, and to Anna Bryjová for technical support related to fragmentation analysis. Also, we would like to thank to Rory Putman for revision of English and to the editor and anonymous reviewers for valuable comments and suggestions to the manuscript.

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JK-P conducted the statistical analysis and prepared the manuscript. JK-P with the help of PV and PB designed the study. All co-authors contributed samples, JK-P with the help of BG performed laboratory analyses. All authors were involved in revision and editing the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Jarmila Krojerová-Prokešová.

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Krojerová-Prokešová, J., Gajdárová, B., Reiners, T.E. et al. Ex situ versus in situ Eurasian lynx populations: implications for successful breeding and genetic rescue. Conserv Genet 24, 203–217 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-022-01494-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-022-01494-y

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