Genetic composition and social structure of the Carpathian lynx at the Western edge of its distribution range.

0520571 - ÚBO 2020 LT eng A - Abstract
Turbaková, Barbora - Krojerová-Prokešová, Jarmila - Jelenčič, M. - Bojda, M. - Kutal, M. - Skrbinšek, T. - Koubek, Petr - Bryja, Josef
Genetic composition and social structure of the Carpathian lynx at the Western edge of its distribution range.
34th IUGB Congress: Wildlife: Coexistence or Opposite? Book of Extended Abstracts. Kaunas: Institute of Forestry LAMMC, 2019. s. 121-122.
[IUGB Congress /34./. 26.08.2019-30.08.2019, Kaunas]
Institutional support: RVO:68081766
Keywords : Eurasian lynx * conservation genetics * edge population
OECD category: Ecology

After the long persecution during the last centuries, large carnivores are expanding throughout Europe again. However, the native Carpathian population of the Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) on its western edge of distribution range seems unable to spread further, although suitable habitats are available. The potential for range expansion can be affected by many factors, both extrinsic and intrinsic, such as landscape fragmentation, low natural fecundity and high mortality, natal philopatry, and low and sex-biased dispersal rates. Thanks to long-term non-invasive genetic sampling of the peripheral lynx population at the Czech-Slovak border, we were able to shed light on some of these factors. In particular, our aims were to give insights into the population size fluctuation, genetic variability, sub-structuring and social organization of the study population. We have collected 454 samples, especially non-invasive (scat, hair, urine) in 2009–2016.
Using 15 microsatellite loci and the sex specific marker amelogenin in total, we identified 40 individuals of lynx. Even though the population size has been relatively stable over the study period, inbreeding coefficients of residents were much higher at the end of the study than those of founders at the beginning of the study and the genetic variability decreased. High rate of female natal philopatry, together with breeding of only a few resident individuals with well-established home ranges, led to incestuous mating and production of inbred individuals followed by reduction of effective population size of the population, and sub-structuring of the population through formation of two distinct family lineages. Non-resident individuals (predominantly males) occurred regularly in the study area, suggesting that the study area is still connected with Western Carpathian population, but they did not participate in breeding.
Our study illustrates, how social constraints, such as territoriality, breeding of residents and natal philopatry of females can pose considerable threats to small, isolated, or edge populations, and should be considered in planning of conservation and population recovery of species with similar social structure.
Permanent Link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0305228