Complex admixture preceded and followed the extinction of wisent in the wild.

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  • Karolina Wecek
    Jagiellonian University
  • Stefanie Hartmann
    University of Potsdam
  • Johanna Paijmans
    University of Potsdam
  • Ulrike H. Taron
    University of Potsdam
  • Georgios Xenikoudakis
    University of Potsdam
  • James A. Cahill
    University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Peter D. Heintzman
    University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Beth Shapiro
    University of California, Santa Cruz
  • Gennady Baryshnikov
    Russian Academy of Sciences
  • Aleksei N. Bunevich
    State National Park Belovezhskaya Pushcha, Belarus
  • Jennifer J. Crees
    Zoological Society of London
  • Roland Dobosz
    Upper Silesian Museum, Poland
  • Ninna Manaserian
    Institute of Zoology Armenian National Academy of Sciences
  • Henryk Okarma
    Polish Academy of Sciences
  • Małgorzata Tokarska
    Polish Academy of Sciences
  • Samuel Turvey
    Zoological Society of London
  • Jan M. Wojcik
    Polish Academy of Sciences
  • Waldemar Zyla
    Upper Silesian Museum, Poland
  • Jacek M. Szymura
    Jagiellonian University
  • Michael Hofreiter
    University of Potsdam
  • Axel Barlow
    University of Potsdam
Retracing complex population processes that precede extreme bottlenecks may be impossible using data from living individuals. The wisent (Bison bonasus), Europe’s largest terrestrial mammal, exemplifies such a population history, having gone extinct in the wild but subsequently restored by captive breeding efforts. Using low coverage genomic data from modern and historical individuals, we investigate population processes occurring before and after this extinction. Analysis of aligned genomes supports the division of wisent into two previously recognized subspecies, but almost half of the genomic alignment contradicts this population history as a result of incomplete lineage sorting and admixture. Admixture between subspecies populations occurred prior to extinction and subsequently during the captive breeding program. Admixture with the Bos cattle lineage is also widespread but results from ancient events rather than recent hybridization with domestics. Our study demonstrates the huge potential of historical genomes for both studying evolutionary histories and for guiding conservation strategies.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)598-612
JournalMolecular Biology and Evolution
Volume34
Issue number7
Early online date21 Dec 2016
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2017
Externally publishedYes
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