Research shows how lions have developed genetically and how different populations were separated.
Over the course of only a century, humanity has made an observable impact on the genetic diversity of the lion population. That’s the conclusion of a recently published study by Caitlin Curry and James Derr from the Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine & Biomedical Sciences.
By comparing the DNA of lions today to lions from 100 years ago, they found that there is clear genetic evidence of recent population fragmentation, which is when groups of a species are isolated from each other. This fragmentation could ultimately have a long-term impact on the genetic health of the iconic species. The research was published in the journal Molecular Biology and Evolution.
“I was surprised at what we found — surprised and disappointed, because it’s not what I wanted to see,” said Derr, director of the DNA Technologies Core Laboratory in the Department of Veterinary Pathobiology. “I really wanted to be able to tell everyone that the management we’ve been doing for the last 100 years is perfect and to keep doing what we’ve been doing and everything will be fine. But that’s not the take-home lesson; unfortunately, that’s not the story we can tell.
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