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The Evolutionary Dynamics of the Lion Panthera leo Revealed by Host and Viral Population Genomics

  1. Author:
    Antunes, A.
    Troyer, J. L.
    Roelke, M. E.
    Pecon-Slattery, J.
    Packer, C.
    Winterbach, C.
    Winterbach, H.
    Hemson, G.
    Frank, L.
    Stander, P.
    Siefert, L.
    Driciru, M.
    Funston, P. J.
    Alexander, K. A.
    Prager, K. C.
    Mills, G.
    Wildt, D.
    Bush, M.

  2. Author Address

    Antunes, Agostinho, Troyer, Jennifer L.; Roelke, Melody E.] NCI, Lab Genom Divers, SAIC Frederick, Frederick, MD 21701 USA. [Antunes, Agostinho] Univ Porto, CIMAR, Ctr Interdisciplinar Invest Marinha & Ambiental, P-4100 Oporto, Portugal. [Packer, Craig] Univ Minnesota, Dept Ecol Evolut & Behav, St Paul, MN 55108 USA. [Hemson, Graham] Wildlife Conservat Res Unit, Tubney, Oxon, England. [Winterbach, Christiaan, Winterbach, Hanlie] Tau Consultants, Maun, Botswana. [Frank, Laurence] Univ Calif Berkeley, Museum Vertebrate Zool, Laikipia Predator Project, Berkeley, CA 94720 USA. [Stander, Philip] Minist Environm & Tourism, Windhoek, Namibia. [Siefert, Ludwig] Makerere Univ, Dept Wildlife & Anim Resources Management, Kampala, Uganda. [Driciru, Margaret] Uganda Wildlife Author, Kampala, Uganda. [Funston, Paul J.] Tshwane Univ Technol, Nat Conservat Dept, Pretoria, South Africa. [Alexander, Kathy A.] Dept Wildlife & Natl Pk, Wildlife Vet Unit, Kasane, Botswana. [Prager, Katherine C.] Univ Calif Davis, Sch Vet Med, Dept Pathol Microbiol & Immunol, Davis, CA 95616 USA. [Mills, Gus] Univ Pretoria, Mammal Res Inst, Skukuza, South Africa. [Mills, Gus] SANParks, Endangered Wildlife Trust, Skukuza, South Africa. [Wildt, David, Bush, Mitch] Smithsonians Natl Zool Pk, Conservat & Res Ctr, Front Royal, VA USA.
    1. Year: 2008
  2. Journal: Plos Genetics
    1. 4
    2. 11
  4. Type of Article: Article
  1. Abstract:

    The lion Panthera leo is one of the world's most charismatic carnivores and is one of Africa's key predators. Here, we used a large dataset from 357 lions comprehending 1.13 megabases of sequence data and genotypes from 22 microsatellite loci to characterize its recent evolutionary history. Patterns of molecular genetic variation in multiple maternal (mtDNA), paternal (Y-chromosome), and biparental nuclear (nDNA) genetic markers were compared with patterns of sequence and subtype variation of the lion feline immunodeficiency virus (FIVPle), a lentivirus analogous to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). In spite of the ability of lions to disperse long distances, patterns of lion genetic diversity suggest substantial population subdivision (mtDNA Phi(ST) = 0.92, nDNA F-ST = 0.18), and reduced gene flow, which, along with large differences in seroprevalence of six distinct FIVPle subtypes among lion populations, refute the hypothesis that African lions consist of a single panmictic population. Our results suggest that extant lion populations derive from several Pleistocene refugia in East and Southern Africa (similar to 324,000-169,000 years ago), which expanded during the Late Pleistocene (similar to 100,000 years ago) into Central and North Africa and into Asia. During the Pleistocene/Holocene transition (similar to 14,000-7,000 years), another expansion occurred from southern refugia northwards towards East Africa, causing population interbreeding. In particular, lion and FIVPle variation affirms that the large, well-studied lion population occupying the greater Serengeti Ecosystem is derived from three distinct populations that admixed recently.

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External Sources

  1. PMID: 18989457

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