The reintroduction of an extinct species requires
consideration of the phylogenetic relatedness of the source population to the
original population, as seen in the case of the Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber, which was driven to
extinction in Britain and then reintroduced in 2009 (Marr et al. 2018). Ancient
DNA analysis was used by Marr et al. (2018) to determine the relationship
between the extinct Eurasian beaver in Britain and populations across Europe,
in order to determine potential source populations for future reintroductions. It
was found that the ancient Eurasian beaver samples from Britain grouped more
closely with the Western European populations than the Eastern European ones
(Marr et al. 2018). However, within the Western European populations they were
shown to not be more closely related to any one population over the others
(Marr et al. 2018). However, Marr et al. (2018) also note that increasing the diversity
of the genetics in the reintroduced modern populations may also be beneficial
for adapting to the current environment, and should be considered alongside
phylogenetic analysis using ancient DNA.
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References
Marr, M.M., Brace, S., Schreve, D.C., and Barnes, I. (2018)
Identifying source populations for the reintroduction of the Eurasian beaver, Castor fiber L. 1758, into Britain:
evidence from ancient DNA. Scientific Reports. 8: 2708.
Image: Marr, M.M., Brace, S., Schreve, D.C., and Barnes, I.
(2018) Figure 2 from Identifying source populations for the reintroduction of
the Eurasian beaver,
Castor fiber L.
1758, into Britain: evidence from ancient DNA. Scientific Reports. 8: 2708.
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-21173-8/figures/2
Accessed 02/27/18.
Victoria Lockwood
The phylogeny of straight-tusked elephants--an extinct elephant species that lived 30,000 years ago--has long puzzled researchers. Traditionally, these creatures have been assumed to be more closely related to Asian elephants as both exhibit high foreheads and double-domed skulls. However, genetic analysis of DNA from fossils of straight-tusked elephants reveals that they are more closely related to African elephants. DNA was extracted and analyzed from four straight-tusked elephant fossils ranging in age from 120,000-240,000 years. Due to the preservation of these fossils--in which the individual was covered with sediment quickly after death--researchers were able to extract DNA. This DNA was then compared to the three genomes of elephant species living today: African elephant, African forest elephant, and Asian elephant. This new phylogeny suggests that the African elephant lineage was not confined just to the continent of Africa in the past, as previously thought.
