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How genetically structured are lion populations?
The genomic legacy of the lion, Panthera leo—one of the world's most charismatic carnivores—was studied using a large multigenic dataset. Population genomics of 357 individuals from most of the major lion populations in Africa and Asia refuted the hypothesis that African lions consist of a single, randomly breeding (panmictic) population and provided insight into the lion's natural history (see Antunes et al., doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000251). The high population structure observed highlights the importance of preserving lion populations in decline as opposed to prioritizing larger-scale conservation efforts.
Image Credit: Photo of lion cubs from Laikipia District, central Kenya, by James Warwick (http://www.jameswarwick.co.uk).
Citation: (2008) PLoS Genetics Issue Image | Vol. 4(11) November 2008. PLoS Genet 4(11): ev04.i11. https://doi.org/10.1371/image.pgen.v04.i11
Published: November 28, 2008
Copyright: © 2008 James Warwick. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
The genomic legacy of the lion, Panthera leo—one of the world's most charismatic carnivores—was studied using a large multigenic dataset. Population genomics of 357 individuals from most of the major lion populations in Africa and Asia refuted the hypothesis that African lions consist of a single, randomly breeding (panmictic) population and provided insight into the lion's natural history (see Antunes et al., doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1000251). The high population structure observed highlights the importance of preserving lion populations in decline as opposed to prioritizing larger-scale conservation efforts.
Image Credit: Photo of lion cubs from Laikipia District, central Kenya, by James Warwick (http://www.jameswarwick.co.uk).