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Information is given about the finds of the relict species Ruppia maritima in salt lakes in the southeast of Transbaikalia of Russia (Trans-Baikal Territory) and in the northeast of Mongolia. Information is present on quantitative indicators of populations, ecological conditions, salinity and pH of lake water., Приводятся сведения о находках реликтового вида Ruppia maritima в соленых озерах Восточного Забайкалья России (Забайкальский край) и северо-востока Монголии. Дана информация о количественных показателях популяций, экологических условиях, минерализации и pH озерной воды.

Polylepis albicans Pilger (Rosaceae) is restricted to the Cordillera Blanca in Ancash and La Libertad, northwestern Peru. Here, we report the occurrence of a new population of the species in Huancavelica, central Peru. We analyzed its morphology and compared samples of the new record with samples collected from the Cordillera Blanca, where the main populations of the species are concentrated. We discuss the complex patterns of the geographic distribution P. albicans and the implications for its conservation.

The pink pigeon (Nesoenas mayeri) is an endemic species of Mauritius that has made a remarkable recovery after a severe population bottleneck in the 1970s to early 1990s. Prior to this bottleneck, an ex situ population was established from which captive-bred individuals were released into free-living subpopulations to increase population size and genetic variation. This conservation rescue led to rapid population recovery to 400-480 individuals, and the species was twice downlisted on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. We analyzed the impacts of the bottleneck and genetic rescue on neutral genetic variation during and after population recovery (1993-2008) with restriction site-associated sequencing, microsatellite analyses, and quantitative genetic analysis of studbook data of 1112 birds from zoos in Europe and the United States. We used computer simulations to study the predicted changes in genetic variation and population viability from the past into the future. Genetic variation declined rapidly, despite the population rebound, and the effective population size was approximately an order of magnitude smaller than census size. The species carried a high genetic load of circa 15 lethal equivalents for longevity. Our computer simulations predicted continued inbreeding will likely result in increased expression of deleterious mutations (i.e., a high realized load) and severe inbreeding depression. Without continued conservation actions, it is likely that the pink pigeon will go extinct in the wild within 100 years. Conservation rescue of the pink pigeon has been instrumental in the recovery of the free-living population. However, further genetic rescue with captive-bred birds from zoos is required to recover lost variation, reduce expression of harmful deleterious variation, and prevent extinction. The use of genomics and modeling data can inform IUCN assessments of the viability and extinction risk of species, and it helps in assessments of the conservation dependency of populations.La paloma rosada (Nesoenas mayeri) es una especie endémica de Mauricio que se ha recuperado impresionantemente después de un grave cuello de botella poblacional a principios de la década de 1970 que duró hasta inicios de la década de 1990. Antes de este cuello de botella se había establecido una población ex situ de la cual se liberaban individuos reproducidos en cautiverio a las subpoblaciones en libertad para incrementar la variación genética y el tamaño poblacional. Este rescate de conservación derivó en una recuperación rápida de la población (400-480 individuos) y la especie cambió positivamente de categoría dos veces en la Lista Roja de la Unión Internacional para la Conservación de la Naturaleza (UICN). Analizamos los impactos del cuello de botella y el rescate genético sobre la variación genética neutral durante y después de la recuperación poblacional (de 1993 a 2008) mediante secuenciación RAD, análisis de microsatélites y análisis genéticos cuantitativos de los datos del libro genealógico de 1112 aves ubicadas en zoológicos de Europa y los Estados Unidos. Usamos simulaciones por computadora para estudiar los cambios pronosticados en la variación genética y en la viabilidad poblacional del pasado hacia el futuro. La variación genética declinó rápidamente, a pesar de la recuperación poblacional, y el tamaño efectivo de la población fue aproximadamente un orden de magnitud más pequeño que el tamaño del censo. La especie contó con una carga genética elevada de casi 15 equivalentes letales para la longevidad. Nuestras simulaciones pronostican que la endogamia continua probablemente resultará en un incremento en la expresión de mutaciones deletéreas (es decir, una carga realizada elevada) y en una depresión endogámica severa. Sin acciones continuas para la conservación, es probable que la paloma rosada esté extinta en vida libre dentro de cien años. El rescate de conservación de la paloma rosada ha sido fundamental en la recuperación de la población silvestre; sin embargo, se requiere de un rescate genético adicional con las aves de reproducción en cautiverio de los zoológicos para recuperar la variación perdida, reducir la expresión de la variación deletérea dañina y prevenir la extinción. El uso de la genómica y los datos modelados puede orientar las valoraciones de la UICN sobre la viabilidad y el riesgo de extinción de las especies, además de que ayuda en la evaluación de la dependencia que tienen las poblaciones de la conservación.

Inner Bay of Fundy Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are endangered anadromous fish that have the potential to provide marine-derived nutrients (MDNs) to freshwater ecosystems depending on their population abundance. Salmon have been reintroduced to the Upper Salmon River, but not to the adjacent Point Wolfe River, in Fundy National Park, New Brunswick, Canada. This study determined whether stocking of adult salmon increased the productivity of the river. To examine the incorporation of MDNs, biofilm, leaf litter, Perlidae, Heptageniidae and brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were sampled pre- and post-spawning in 2015–2017 from down- and upstream of a natural barrier in both rivers and analyzed for carbon (δ13C) and nitrogen (δ15N) isotopes. After salmon spawning in each year, all organisms at the downstream site of the stocked river increased in δ13C and δ15N, with the greatest enrichment in brook trout (δ13C: −23.97‰ to −21.10‰, δ15N: +6.36‰ to +10.73‰). The proportion of MDNs in brook trout after salmon spawning (2015: 23.4%, 2016: 40.7%, 2017: 37.4%) also increased with higher numbers of released adult salmon. Results support the importance of salmon restoration for increasing the proportion of MDNs and productivity in rivers in Atlantic Canada.

Illegal wildlife trade has been identified as a major source of global commerce of seahorses. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora listed the genus Hippocampus in Appendix II in 2004, when several countries that commercialized these species also banned transactions through domestic legislation, Peru being one of them. Nevertheless, since the 2004 ban was decreed in Peru, transactions have continued, including international commerce, as well confiscations of illegal seahorse Hippocampus ingens (Girard 1858) products. The authors reviewed three official government sources for information on seahorse trade in Peru, identifying differences in the reporting of the two agencies that monitor exports and imports of seahorses, likely due to non-standardized use of product categorization codes (Partidas Arancelarias). Confiscations reported by one of the agencies confirmed that illegal trade continued despite the ban and in similar amounts of what was exported by Peru before the ban (1053 kg confiscated in 2019 vs. 1460 kg exported in 2004, an estimated 437,888 and 607,067 seahorses, respectively). This review highlights gaps in seahorse conservation in Peru, which include research gaps (e.g., taxonomy, biology and use of habitats) as well as the identification of fisheries impact and improvements in by-catch reporting. This review also highlights areas for possible improvement in international trade (e.g., standardized descriptions of Partidas) that ultimately would allow the country to follow the Convention for Illegal Trade of Endangered Species regulations for seahorses.

In this study, the early development of Cobitis striata fuchigamii was described using aquarium-spawned eggs and juveniles. Egg yolk diameter after water absorption was 1.0‒1.1 mm, and the spherical, demersal eggs had a light-yellow yolk, no oil droplets, and low viscosity. Newly hatched larvae [4.0–4.5 mm in total length (TL)] had 44‒45 (27‒28 + 17‒18) myomeres (26‒27 between the pectoral fins and the middle of the anus), two pairs of short tubular outer gill filaments on the cheek, and only a few melanophores on parts of the eye. Notochord flexion began at 5.1–6.8 mm TL and ended at 10.0 mm TL. The number of fin rays on each fin was finalized at approximately 25.0 mm TL. Lateral line spots of the larvae were indistinct, and juveniles formed blotches at approximately 25.0 mm TL. The barbels were formed in the following order: third, second, and then first. The formation of membranous fins occurred in the following order: pectoral, caudal, dorsal, anal, and then pelvic; full fin ray complements occurred in the caudal, dorsal, anal, pectoral, and pelvic regions. Some individuals (5.1–7.5 mm TL at the flexion stage) had free lateral neuromasts on the caudal region, each with a short cupula.

The global rate of wildlife extinctions is accelerating, and the persistence of many species requires conservation breeding programs. A central paradigm of these programs is to preserve the genetic diversity of the founder populations. However, this may preserve original characteristics that make them vulnerable to extinction. We introduce targeted genetic intervention (TGI) as an alternative approach that promotes traits that enable species to persist in the face of threats by changing the incidence of alleles that impact on fitness. The TGI toolkit includes methods with established efficacy in model organisms and agriculture but are largely untried for conservation, such as synthetic biology and artificial selection. We explore TGI approaches as a species-restoration tool for intractable threats including infectious disease and climate change.

It is not possible to establish the absence of a population with certainty using imperfect zero-sighting records, but absence can be inferred. In this paper we use Bayesian methods to formulate analytical inferred distributions and statistics. When such formulations are available, they offer a highly efficient and powerful means of analysis. Our purpose is to provide accessible and versatile formulations to support an assessment of population absence for management decisions, using data from a series of regular and targeted surveys with zero-sightings. The stochastic processes considered here are prior population size, growth and imperfect detection, which are combined into a single distribution with sufficient flexibility to accommodate alternative distributions for each of the driving processes. Analytical solutions formulated include the inferred mean and variance for population size or number of infested survey-units, the probability of absence, the probability of a series of negative surveys conditional on presence, and the probability a population is first detected in a given survey, although we also formulate other statistics and provide explicit thresholds designed to support management decisions. Our formulation and results are straightforward to apply and provide insight into the nonlinear interactions and general characteristics of such systems. Although motivated by an assessment of population absence following a pest eradication program, results are also relevant to the status of threatened species, to ‘proof-of-freedom’ requirements for trade, and for inferring population size when a population is first detected.

Plant collections are important for the conservation of threatened species, and can provide material for ecological restoration. Typically we want collections to have high genetic diversity so populations founded from it are adaptable to future challenges. Sometimes, we have additional objectives for collections, such as enrichment for desirable traits controlled by adaptive alleles. We used landscape genomic data sets for two plants, Westringia fruticosa and Wilkiea huegeliana, to design collections that are genetically diverse, and that are adapted to warming climates. We characterized temperature adaptation by: (i) using the mean annual temperature of the sites of origin of the plants, and (ii) using the representation of alleles that are associated with warm temperatures. In Westringia fruticosa, there was a negative correlation, or tradeoff, between designing a collection that was both genetically diverse and adapted to warm temperatures. This tradeoff was weaker in Wilkiea huegeliana. We hypothesized this was because neutral genetic variation was strongly correlated with temperature in Westringia fruticosa, and not in Wilkiea huegeliana. Accordingly, when we shuffled the temperature data, breaking up the covariance between Westringia fruticosa genetic variation and temperature, there was a relaxation of the observed tradeoff. In summary, we explore tradeoffs between promoting genetic diversity and selecting for a specific trait in plant collections, and show that the strength of this tradeoff varies between two species. This represents a useful step towards understanding when selection will have a large cost in genetic diversity, and when it will be possible to design a collection that is both adapted and adaptable.

El género Pisonia es primordialmente americano, se distribuye principalmente en regiones subtropicales y tropicales. En este trabajo se describe y documenta la nueva especie Pisonia calafia. Este taxon consiste de una relativamente pequeña población en la costa de la región de Los Cabos en la península de Baja California. La principal característica que diferencia a P. calafia del resto de las especies de este género es la carencia de sulcos y glándulas en el fruto. En adición a la descripción morfológica, se documenta la afinidad evolutiva del nuevo taxon con base en el análisis filogenético de la secuencia de nrITS. Las poblaciones conocidas consisten de unas pocas docenas de individuos, seriamente amenazados por el desarrollo de proyectos turísticos en la zona.

We developed a novel statistical model to relate the daily survival and migration dynamics of an endangered anadromous fish to river flow and water temperature during both extreme drought and severe flooding in an intensively managed river system. Our Bayesian temporally stratified multistate mark–recapture model integrates over unobserved travel times and route transitions to efficiently estimate covariate relationships and includes an adjustment for telemetry tag battery failure. We applied the model to acoustic-tagged juvenile Sacramento River winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha) and found that survival decreased with decreasing river flows and increased water temperatures. We found that fish were likely to enter a large floodplain during flood conditions and that survival in the floodplain was comparable to the mainstem Sacramento River. Our study demonstrates the response of an endangered anadromous fish population to extreme spatial and temporal variability in habitat accessibility and quality. The general model framework we introduce here can be applied to telemetry of migratory fish through systems with multiple routes to efficiently estimate spatiotemporal variation in survival, travel time, and routing.

Conservation benefits from incorporating genomics to explore the impacts of population declines, inbreeding, loss of genetic variation and hybridization. Here we use the near-extinct Mariana Islands reedwarbler radiation to showcase how ancient DNA approaches can allow insights into the population dynamics of extinct species and threatened populations for which historical museum specimens or material with low DNA yield (e.g., scats, feathers) are the only sources for DNA. Despite their having paraphyletic mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), nuclear single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) support the distinctiveness of critically endangered Acrocephalus hiwae and the other three species in the radiation that went extinct between the 1960s and 1990s. Two extinct species, A. yamashinae and A. luscinius, were deeply divergent from each other and from a third less differentiated lineage containing A. hiwae and extinct A. nijoi. Both mtDNA and SNPs suggest that the two isolated populations of A. hiwae from Saipan and Alamagan Islands are sufficiently distinct to warrant subspecies recognition and separate conservation management. We detected no significant differences in genetic diversity or inbreeding between Saipan and Alamagan, nor strong signatures of geographical structuring within either island. However, the implications of possible signatures of inbreeding in both Saipan and Alamagan, and long-term population declines in A. hiwae that pre-date modern anthropogenic threats require further study with denser population sampling. Our study highlights the value that conservation genomics studies of island radiations have as windows onto the possible future for the world's biota as climate change and habitat destruction increasingly fragment their ranges and contribute to rapid declines in population abundances.

Sample mix-ups occur when samples have accidentally been duplicated, mislabelled or swapped. When samples are subsequently genotyped or sequenced, this can lead to individual IDs being incorrectly linked to genetic data, resulting in incorrect or biased research results, or reduced power to detect true biological patterns. We surveyed the community and found that almost 80% of responding researchers have encountered sample mix-ups. However, many recent studies in the field of molecular ecology do not appear to systematically report individual assignment checks as part of their publications. Although checks may be done, lack of consistent reporting means that it is difficult to assess whether sample mix-ups have occurred or been detected. Here, we present an easy-to-follow sample verification framework that can utilise existing metadata, including species, population structure, sex and pedigree information. We demonstrate its application to a data set representing individuals of a threatened Aotearoa New Zealand bird species, the hihi, genotyped on a 50K SNP array. We detected numerous incorrect genotype-ID associations when comparing observed and genetic sex or comparing to relationships in a verified microsatellite pedigree. The framework proposed here helped to confirm 488 individuals (39%), correct another 20 bird-genotype links, and detect hundreds of incorrect sample IDs, emphasizing the value of routinely checking genetic and genomic data sets for their accuracy. We therefore promote the implementation and reporting of this simple yet effective sample verification framework as a standardized quality control step for studies in the field of molecular ecology.

Paphiopedilum dianthum and P. micranthum are two endangered orchid species, with high ornamental and conservation values. They are sympatric species, but their leaf anatomical traits and flowering period have significant differences. However, it is unclear whether the differences in leaf structure of the two species will affect their adaptabilities to temperature. Here, we investigated the leaf photosynthetic, anatomical, and flowering traits of these two species at three sites with different temperatures (Kunming, 16.7 ± 0.2 °C; Puer, 17.7 ± 0.2 °C; Menglun, 23.3 ± 0.2 °C) in southwest China. Compared with those at Puer and Kunming, the values of light-saturated photosynthetic rate (Pmax), stomatal conductance (gs), leaf thickness (LT), and stomatal density (SD) in both species were lower at Menglun. The values of Pmax, gs, LT, adaxial cuticle thickness (CTad) and SD in P. dianthum were higher than those of P. micranthum at the three sites. Compared with P. dianthum, there were no flowering plants of P. micranthum at Menglun. These results indicated that both species were less resistance to high temperature, and P. dianthum had a stronger adaptability to high-temperature than P. micranthum. Our findings can provide valuable information for the conservation and cultivation of Paphiopedilum species.

In North America, impassable, man-made barriers block access to salmonid spawning habitat and require costly restoration efforts in the remaining habitats. Evaluating restored spawning habitat quality requires information on salmon water velocity and depth preferences, which may vary in relation to other variables (e.g., water temperature). We demonstrate a generalizable, low-cost method to gather and analyze these data by combining aerial redd surveys of winter-run Chinook salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha), 2D hydraulic modeling, and generalized linear models to calculate spawning resource selection functions (RSFs). Our method permits the examination of interactions between environmental variables and habitat selection, which are frequently treated as independent. Our methods resulted in an RSF that shows interactions between both velocity and depth preference with changing temperature. Preferred depth increased and preferred velocity decreased with increasing temperature. Spawning RSFs for environmental variables may change as other environmental conditions (i.e., water temperature) change; thus, it is important to account for potential interactions when using or producing RSFs.

Magnolia sinica is one of the most endangered Magnoliaceae species in China. Seed biology information concerning its long-term ex situ conservation and utilization is insufficient. This study investigated dormancy status, germination requirements and storage behavior of M. sinica. Freshly matured seeds germinated to ca. 86.5% at 25/15 °C but poorly at 30 °C; GA3 and moist chilling promoted germination significantly at 20 °C. Embryos grew at temperatures (alternating or constant) between 20 °C and 25 °C, but not at 5 °C or 30 °C. Our results indicate that M. sinica seeds possibly have non-deep simple morphophysiological dormancy (MPD). Seeds survived desiccation to 9.27% and 4.85% moisture content (MC) as well as a further 6-month storage at −20 °C and in liquid nitrogen, including recovery in vitro as excised embryos. The established protocol ensured that at least 58% of seedlings were obtained after both cold storage and cryopreservation. These results indicate that both conventional seed banking and cryopreservation have potential as long-term ex situ conservation methods, although further optimized approaches are recommended for this critically endangered magnolia species.

Knowledge of Carex L. (true sedges) and Hypericum L. (St. John's wort) in the Neotropics is fragmentary. As a result of a fieldwork campaign in Ecuador and revision of herbarium collections (K, QCA and QCNE), we present here relevant records of twelve Carex (Cyperaceae) and four Hypericum (Hypericaceae) species. Regarding Carex, we present the novel report for South America of C. aztecica, as well as the first Ecuadorian records for C. brehmeri, C. collumanthus, C. fecunda, C. melanocystis and C. punicola. The three later records have additional biogeographical significance, as they represent the new northern limit of these species. We also include observations for another five species included in the Ecuadorian Red List of Endemic Plants. As a result, the list of native Carex reported for Ecuador would now include 52 taxa. With regard to Hypericum, we include the new report of H. sprucei for the province of Bolívar, and the confirmation of the presence of three rare species (H. acostanum, H. matangense, H. prietoi) in their type localities, although with extremely low population sizes. We discuss their conservation status and implications.

There is a lack of information on many biological and ecological aspects of the critically endangered European eel during its growth phase in inland waters, such as when the sedentary life stage begins, mobility according to age and response to habitat alteration. We used mobile radio frequency identification (RFID) telemetry technology to track tagged eels over 6 years after their restocking as glass eels in six typologically different rivers. We also cross-referenced telemetry data with those of several electrofishing monitoring sessions to better understand the mobility and behaviour of eels. The relative abundance (maximum 52 individuals km−1) and detection rate (maximum 28%) of eels were not significantly correlated with the time/age after restocking. Eels were present in all restocked rivers, but their abundance was low and mobility was high in a slightly acidified, oligotrophic river that had experienced a great loss of fish habitat heterogeneity. This loss of habitat heterogeneity was due to flooding events and machinery works in riverbeds to restore the altered riverbanks. Four years after glass eel release, restocked eels became sedentary and moved from shallow to deep microhabitats with riverbeds dominated by blocks as the bottom substrate. After this age, they exhibited high fidelity to the residence site. This study provides new insights concerning the biology and ecology of eels restocked as glass eels in freshwaters, which should lead to improved management plans for the species through the implementation of more effective conservation measures and strategies.

The Chinese section of the Irtysh River Basin and the Ulungur River Basin, two major river basins of the Altay region, are located at the northwest of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region of China. As an international river, the Chinese section has seven state-level protected fish and seven local-level protected species as well. Many more commercial species have been introduced from eastern China and other countries, accompanied by some low-value and small-sized fish in recent decades. The non-native fish species have already threatened these protected fish. This study investigated the distribution of non-native fish species in the Chinese section of the Irtysh River Basin and the Ulungur River Basin. The basic data for the biodiversity conservation and the information of the non-native fish in these two river basins were gathered. There are a lot of studies on native fish in the Chinese section of the Irtysh River Basin and Urungur River Basin in China, but there is a lack of studies on non-native fish. Thirteen non-native fish belonging to four orders, nine families and 12 genera were collected in this study. The study includes one dataset. The dataset presents taxonomy, distribution, water body and location for each of the non-native fish collected from the Chinese section of the Irtysh River Basin and the Ulungur River Basin. Our study has found that the proportion of native species has declined, while the number of non-native species has increased from 2013 to 2022. The information we provided could help to develop an international strategy for the protection of aquatic biodiversity.

La Trobe University Faculty of Science, Technology and Engineering Murray Darling Freshwater Research CentreMDFRC item.The Australian Odonata fauna is reviewed. The state of the current taxonomy andecology, studies on biodiversity, studies on larvae and the all identification keys arereported. The conservation status of the Australian odonates is evaluated and theendangered species identified. In addition the endemic species, species with unusualbiology and species, not threatened yet, but maybe becoming critical in the futureare discussed and listed.

As top predators, seabirds can be indirectly impacted by climate variability and commercial fishing activities through changes in marine communities. However, high mobility and foraging behaviour enables seabirds to exploit prey distributed patchily in time and space. This capacity to adapt to environmental change can be described through the study of their diet. Traditionally, the diet of seabirds is assessed through the morphological identification of prey remains in regurgitates. This sampling method is invasive for the bird and limited in terms of taxonomic resolution. However, the recent progress in DNA-based approaches is now providing a non-invasive means to more comprehensively and accurately characterize animal diets. Here, we used a non-invasive metabarcoding approach to characterize the diet of the Westland petrel (Procellaria westlandica), which is an endangered burrowing species, endemic to the South Island of New Zealand. We collected 99 fresh faecal samples at two different seasons and in two different sub-colonies. Our aims were to describe the diet of the Westland petrel, investigate seasonal and spatial variation in the petrels’ diet, and assess potential impacts of the New Zealand fishery industry. We found that amphipods were the most common prey, followed by cephalopods and fish. Our results could be the result of natural foraging behaviour, but also suggest a close link between the composition of prey items and New Zealand’s commercial fishing activities. In particular, the high abundance of amphipods could be the result of Westland petrels feeding on discarded fisheries waste (fish guts). Our results also showed significant differences in diet between seasons (before hatching vs chick-rearing season) and between sampling sites (two sub-colonies 1.5 km apart), indicating plasticity in the foraging strategy of the Westland petrel. Due to its non-invasive nature, metabarcoding of faecal samples can be applied to large numbers of samples to help describe dietary variation in seabirds and indicate their ecological requirements. In our example, dietary DNA (dDNA) provided valuable information regarding the dietary preferences of an iconic species in New Zealand’s unique biodiversity. dDNA can thus inform the conservation of endangered or at-risk species that have elusive foraging behaviours.

The rare Primula brachystoma W.W.Sm. is an endemic species confined to Gaoligong mountain of Chinese-Burma frontier, which has been rediscovered from the same region after nearly 100 years. In total, 11 specimens from Gaoligong Mountain have been found in the herbaria worldwide, since its first collection in 1920 by Farrer, Reginald John. Previously, this species was described as homostylous but our finding shows the species also exhibited heterostyly. A complete description of the species, the distribution, morphological comparison and identification key from closely related species are provided here. An assessment of its conservation status suggests that the species is ‘Endangered’ (EN).

The Mediterranean is characterised by high biodiversity and numerous endemic species. These species are not only present in natural habitats, but also inhabit areas under human influence, such as agricultural lands. In the biodiversity assessment of Mediterranean vineyards and olive orchards within Zadar County, in Croatia, we identified eight endemic species with Mediterranean distribution, six with a Balkan Peninsula distribution, four with Dinaric Alps distribution and three species rare and endangered in Europe. Alongside these species, we have recorded five new species for Croatian fauna, many of those identified by combining morphological characteristics and the DNA barcoding tool. Araneae and Coleoptera contributed the highest number of endemic species and groups with new record were the following: Coleoptera, Diptera and Araneae. Compared to other sites, an olive orchard with ecological pest management (EPM), surrounded by natural ecosystems, had the highest ratio of endemic and rare species. Our findings emphasise that agricultural lands in the Mediterranean can be habitats for endemic and rare species and that future biodiversity research of these habitats is highly important, to monitor potential biodiversity changes and motivate future species and ecosystem conservation.

The area of semi-natural grasslands has decreased dramatically causing many grassland specialist species to persist in small habitat fragments. Furthermore, ecological communities once shaped by disturbances related to traditional agriculture now face the impacts of modern agriculture and urbanization. Many of the species have become endangered due to the combined effects of habitat destruction and degradation. We studied the responses of vascular plants and bryophytes to present and past connectivity in semi-natural grasslands, while accounting for the effects of local environmental conditions. We conducted vegetation surveys in 33 fragmented, unmanaged dry grasslands in Southwest Finland. A total of 191 vascular plant species and 60 bryophyte species were recorded. Higher vascular plant diversity was associated with higher historical connectivity, whereas bryophyte diversity declined with increasing current connectivity. Edaphic conditions, microclimate and disturbances were found to structure both vascular plant and bryophyte communities, but the responses to individual environmental variables were very different. The contrasting responses could be explained by the differences between the typical life-history strategies in vascular plants and bryophytes as well as resource competition between the two groups. These results highlight the need to consider different species groups when planning conservation measures. Vascular plant richness may best be conserved in connected grasslands whereas bryophyte richness in isolated ones. The results also indicated that trampling by humans could result in positive disturbance and to some extent help maintain richness of grassland specialist species.

The Hengduan Mountains region is an important hotspot of alpine plant diversity and endemism. Acanthochlamys bracteata is a threatened monotypic genus species endemic to Hengduan Mountains. In this study, we present a high-quality, chromosome-level reference genome for A. bracteata, constructed using long reads, short reads, and Hi-C technology. We characterized its genetic diversity, population structure, demographic history, and gene flow by resequencing individuals collected across its distribution. Comparative genomics analyses based on sequence information from single-copy orthologous genes revealed that A. bracteata and Dioscorea rotundata diverged approximately 104.5 million years ago (mya). Whole-genome resequencing based on population genetic analysis revealed that the division of the 14 populations into ten distinct clusters reflected geographic divergence, and three high levels of gene flow occurred sequentially between isolated populations of the Hengduan Mountains, a finding which is consistent with the turnover between ice ages and interglacial periods. Our findings indicated that Quaternary climatic changes played an important role in shaping the genetic structure and demographic trajectories of A. bracteata, and provide critical insights into the genetic status and evolutionary history of this poorly understood species, and possibly other alpine plants with a similar distribution. This study demonstrates the usefulness of population genomics for evaluating the effects of past climatic changes and identifying conservation units (CUs) for the conversation and management of threatened species. Our high-quality genome represents a valuable resource for revealing the underlying molecular mechanisms of adaptive evolution in the future and sheds insight into further comparative genomic analysis with other Velloziaceae species.

Fish diversity of a riverine ecosystem became reduced due to different manmade and natural calamities. This study investigated the present fish biodiversity status of the Dharla River located (25.8103° N, 89.6487° E) in the northern part of Bangladesh from January to December 2018. In this study, the existing fish biodiversity status of the Dharla River was estimated in terms of diversity indices and threatened status (both global and local). Data was collected from the three sampling sites of the river using different fishing gears and three selected fish markets located in the Kurigram district of Bangladesh. A total of 76 fish species were identified belonging to 8 orders, 26 families and 57 genera. The Cyprinidae was the most dominant family represented by 14 species followed by the Danionidae (13 species), Bagridae (8 species) and few minor families. Apart from the indigenous species, nine exotic fish species were also recorded. The Shannon-Weaver diversity (H), Pielous evenness (e) and Margalef richness (D) indices ranged from 3.00 to 3.71, 0.62 to 0.94 and 3.94 to 7.95, respectively. Out of 76 indigenous species, 28 species (37%) were identified as threatened in Bangladesh, which included critically endangered (4), vulnerable (9) and endangered (15) species. Indiscriminate fishing through poisoning and destructive fishing gears were identified as the major threats to fish biodiversity of the Dharla River. Thus, the river serves as considerable support for threatened indigenous fishes. Therefore, necessary steps are needed to stop destructive fishing, establish permanent fish sanctuaries and proper monitoring for maintaining sustainable biodiversity in the Dharla River.

A total of 79 species of local vertebrates (birds, mammals, and reptiles) are found to be in illegal trade in the West Bank, Palestine, during 2013–2020. Data were collected from visits to the animal markets in the main cities of the West Bank (Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin, Jericho, Nablus, Ramallah, and Salfit) and from advertisements in social media. Birds were the most traded animals represented in 59 species (74.7%), followed by 12 species of reptiles (15.2%) and eight species of mammals (10.1%). Nineteen species are listed under CITES appendices (17 birds and 2 mammals under appendixes II and III, respectively). As for the conservation status according to the IUCN Red List, two bird species (Streptopelia turtur and Serinus syriacus) and one reptile (Testudo graeca) are listed as VU, while two mammals (Hyaena hyaena and Gazella gazella) are listed as NT and EN, respectively. Based on the local status, three species of bird are considered critically endangered (Coturnix coturnix, Asio flammeus, and Aquila chrysaetos), one bird is endangered (Falco subbuteo), and two mammals (Hyaena hyaena and Gazella gazella) are considered endangered and vulnerable respectively. This study reveals the urgent need to control animal trade in the Palestinian Territories.

Increasing water demand, water development, and ongoing climate change have driven extensive changes to the hydrology, geomorphology and biology of arid-land rivers globally, driving an increasing need to understand how annual hydrologic conditions affect the distribution and abundance of imperiled desert fish populations. We analyzed the relationship between annual hydrologic conditions and the endangered Rio Grande silvery minnow (Hybognathus amarus) in the Middle Rio Grande, New Mexico, USA, using hurdle models to predict both presence and density as a function of integrated annual hydrologic metrics. Both presence and density were positively related to spring high flow magnitude and duration and negatively related to summer drying, as indicated by an integrated flow metric. Simulations suggest hydrologic conditions near the wettest observed in the data set would be required to meet recovery goals in a single year in all reaches. We demonstrate how the models developed herein can be used to examine alternative water management strategies, including strategies that may currently be socially and logistically infeasible to implement, to identify strategies minimizing trade-offs between conservation and other management goals.

The Endangered Species Act requires that the Sea Lamprey Control Program (Program) ensures that its actions do not jeopardize federally listed species. Often, lampricide toxicity has not been determined and a listed species cannot be sacrificed to test. This paper reviews approaches taken to investigate the risk of lampricide exposure to the Hungerford’s crawling water beetle (Hungerford’s; Brychius hungerfordi), piping plover (Charadrius melodus), and snuffbox (Epioblasma triquetra), and describes adaptations implemented by the Program to protect these species based on the findings detailed here and in other reports and publications. For the Hungerford’s, tests were conducted to determine the toxicity of TFM (3-trifluoromethyl-4-nitrophenol) to a surrogate (Haliplus sp.). Haliplus were resistant to 3.9 times the TFM concentration required to kill larval sea lampreys. However, because avoidance behaviors were observed, it was determined that Hungerford’s would be adversely affected. Surveys demonstrated that TFM exposure during the treatment did not negatively affect the population. For the piping plover, a No Observable Adverse Effects Level, estimated from data results on the toxicity of TFM and TFM-1% niclosamide [5-Chloro-N-(2-chloro-4-nitrophenyl)-2-hydroxybenzamide] to other bird species, was compared to an estimated daily dietary uptake using residue concentrations in burrowing mayflies (Hexagenia limbata). It was determined that neither lampricide would pose a risk to piping plover adults or chicks. Toxicity tests conducted on snuffbox (glochidia, juveniles), and ellipse (surrogate, Venustaconcha ellipsiformis; glochidia, juveniles, adults) demonstrated that TFM would not adversely affect the mussels. Surveys and field observations supported the determinations for the three species.

The Asiatic wild dog or ‘dhole’ (Cuon alpinus) is an apex predator inhabiting south and south-east Asia. Lack of detailed information on its biology has designated it as one of the lesser-known species throughout its distributional range. Herein, we report the presence and activity pattern of dholes in Debrigarh Wildlife Sanctuary, Odisha, India through camera trap surveys from 25th August 2018 to 29 December 2019. From a total of 3150 camera-trapping nights at 123 sampling sites, we obtained 28 independent detections of dhole at nine sites. The activity of species is diurnal, especially in the morning and its activity seems to coincide with its major prey. Debrigarh wildlife sanctuary could be an important habitat and source population for dholes in India, because of abundant prey, lack of disturbance and good habitat connectivity with the central Indian landscape.

Museum specimens of endangered species are important to determine pre-decline population structure and to characterise loss of diversity in surviving populations. Kākāpō (Strigops habroptilus), the...

Little brown bats (Myotis lucifugus) are a widely distributed species in North America that have been decimated by the fungal disease white-nose syndrome. As such, little brown bats are the focus of monitoring and research initiatives that often include capturing and handling free-ranging individuals. We examined the stress response of 198 adult female little brown bats after being captured from three bat houses, during the summer. Our objective was to inform best practices to researchers capturing and handling bats in the wild. We compared the stress response among bats held for 30 min, and then among bats held alone or in a group with conspecifics. We measured the levels of plasma total and free cortisol, maximum corticosteroid binding capacity (MCBC), and blood glucose. Relative to baseline, total and free cortisol levels were significantly higher in bats held for 15–30 min and higher still in those held for > 30 min. Blood glucose levels were elevated after >30 min of holding. MCBC levels showed no differences among holding times. We detected a weak effect of social holding condition, with solitary-held bats having lower total cortisol levels than group-held bats, but MCBC, free cortisol, and blood glucose levels showed no effect of social holding condition. Our findings demonstrate that capture time should be minimized and suggest that little brown bats should be handled and released within 30 min of capture as means of reducing stress. Further, solitary holding did not appear to increase stress measures, which supports holding bats individually after capture, instead of in groups, to reduce risk of pathogen and parasite transmission.

Ophiorrhiza caudata is a creeping, perennial herb distributed along wet and shady areas. The species is distylous with two distinct floral morphs: pin and thrum. Flowering usually occurs during the monsoon season. No particular difference was noticed in the flowering phenology of the two morphs. Presently the species is self-incompatible, however, it shows a tendency towards intramorph compatibility. Fruit set is above 60% in open pollination and intermorph pollination. Bees and butterflies are the major pollinators. The pollen flow between the two floral morphs varies depending upon floral morphology and pollinators. Fruit is a bi-valved capsule which dehisces by a splashing drop mechanism. The seeds are very minute. The rate of seed germination and seedling establishment in the wild condition is very poor due to adverse climatic factors. Ophiorrhiza caudata is struggling for survival in its natural habitat, where habitat fragmentation, climatic factors and poor seedling establishment could account for its narrow distribution.

Little has been reported on moult in sulids, including gannets. The Cape Gannet Morus capensis is an endangered seabird endemic to southern Africa. We describe the timing, duration, symmetry and se...

Temperate soft corals are found in many estuaries around the world and often form large habitats in these environments, yet the functional ecology of soft corals is poorly understood. To understand the functional role of a soft coral in temperate ecosystems, we examined the role of the endangered Dendronepthya australis cauliflower coral as habitat for fishes and invertebrates, and whether associated species used the soft coral as a food source. Using Bayesian stable isotope mixing models of δ13C and δ15N values of soft corals and a suite of potential invertebrate consumers, we found that five of eight soft-coral-associated invertebrates were all likely to be feeding almost exclusively on the soft corals. In situ feeding experiments conducted using baited remote underwater video systems (BRUVS) with soft coral cuttings as ‘bait’ did not identify any larger species as consumers. Fish assemblages studied using remote underwater video systems (RUVS) were diverse in the soft coral habitat and overlapped with assemblages of both sediment and seagrass environments. These results highlighted that these soft corals have a valuable trophic role in estuarine food webs through trophic transfer of nutrients via invertebrate consumers, and that soft coral habitats are used by commercially and recreationally important fishes.

In a scientifically-transformative project, South Africa implemented a decade-long field experiment to understand how fisheries may be affecting its most iconic seabird, the African penguin Spheniscus demersus. This unique effort prohibits the take of anchovy and sardine within relatively small areas around four African penguin breeding colonies, two in the Benguela upwelling ecosystem and two in the adjacent Agulhas region. For the Benguela, fisheries closures within the birds’ primary foraging range increased their breeding productivity and perhaps reduced parental foraging efforts, indicating that the fisheries are competing with the birds for food. Results were less clear for foraging behaviour in the Agulhas, but no data on breeding success were collected there. The African penguin is endangered, its population continues to decline, and fisheries closures have been demonstrated to improve demographic traits that contribute to population growth. Therefore, given the critical status of the species, fisheries closures should be maintained, at least at Dassen Island where the population has great capacity to expand and support other nearby colonies. Continuing or implementing corresponding fisheries closures in the Agulhas region is also warranted, as well as creating and testing the value of pelagic closed areas during the non-breeding season when the penguins disperse widely across these ecosystems. These management actions would increase penguin food supplies and may help to meet societal goals of halting the decline of the penguin population, as well as maintaining the economic and cultural services provided by fisheries and ecotourism.

An assessment of the extinction risk of the endemic plants from the Yucatán Peninsula Biotic Province (YPBP) was performed based on distributional data (B criteria of the IUCN) using the GeoCAT tool. The YPBP is located in southeastern Mexico and comprises the Mexican states of Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Yucatán, and the northernmost portion of Belize (districts of Belize, Corozal, and Orange Walk), as well as a portion of northern Guatemala (most of the department of Petén). An analysis of the YPBP flora identified 167 endemic taxa, 154 of which grow in at least one of the three Mexican states (Campeche, Quintana Roo, and/or Yucatán), whereas another 13 occur exclusively in Belize and/or Guatemala. Eighty-five are in some category of risk (50.9%): 17 taxa (10.18%) are categorized as Critically Endangered (CR), 40 (23.95%) as Endangered (EN), and 28 (16.77%) as Vulnerable (VU). Eighty-one (48.5%) species are not threatened: 12 (7.19%) as Near Threatened (NT) and 69 (41.32%) as Least Concern. A single species (0.6%) is considered Data Deficient (DD). The greatest number of endemic species and endemic threatened species inhabit dry and subhumid forests, and some inhabit semi-evergreen forests. The habits of endemic species and threatened endemic species are diverse, but trees, grasses, and shrubs predominate. The official system of protected natural areas (PNA) does not guarantee the conservation of all endemic species in the region. Ninety-eight (58.68%) of the endemic taxa have more than one population (record) within a PNA.

Carex maolanensis, a new species of Cyperaceae is described and illustrated from Guizhou, China. The new species belongs to sect. Decorae, and it is similar to C. jizhuangensis, but differs in having short rhizome, 3–7 spikes per node, terminal spikes androgynous, female glumes awned. The morphology of perigynium and achene of C. maolanensis and C. jizhuangensis is compared. According to the IUCN Red List criteria, it may be turned out to Endangered (EN) or Vulnerable (VU), however, for the present, it is better to be classified as Data Deficient (DD) because the field survey for the species is necessary. A revised identification key to the species of sect. Decorae from China is provided.

The long-term persistence of a population which has suffered a bottleneck partly depends on how historical demographic dynamics impacted its genetic diversity and the accumulation of deleterious mutations. Here we provide genomic evidence for the detrimental genetic effect of a recent population bottleneck in the endangered black-faced spoonbill (Platalea minor) even after its rapid population recovery. Our population genomic data suggest that the bird’s effective population size, N, had been relatively stable (7,500-9,000) since the end of the last glacial maximum; however, a recent brief yet severe bottleneck (N= 20) around the 1940s wiped out more than 99% of its historical N in roughly three generations. By comparing it with its sister species, the royal spoonbill (P. regia) whose conservation status is of lesser concern, we found that despite a more than 15-fold population recovery since 1988, genetic drift has led to higher levels of inbreeding (7.4 times more runs of homozygosity longer than 100 Kb) in the black-faced spoonbill than in the royal spoonbill genome. Although the two spoonbills have similar levels of genome-wide nucleotide diversity and heterozygosity, because of relaxed purifying selection, individual black-faced spoonbills carry 3% more nonsynonymous substitutions than royal spoonbills each of which is 7% more deleterious. Our results imply that the persistence of a threatened species cannot be inferred from a recovery in its population. They also highlight the necessity of continually using genomic indices to monitor its genetic health and employing all possible measures to assure its long-term persistence in the ever-changing environment.

A new species of Chingia, known only from Vanikoro in the Solomon Islands, is described and illustrated. It is distinctive in having flat, thickened, tortuous stipe scales. It is most closely related to an accession of Chingia clavipilosa from Mount Kinabalu, from which it is distinguished by its lack of hyaline acicular hairs on the abaxial laminar axes. Other Chingia species in the Solomon Islands are distinguished by having abundant stiff, terete stipe scales.

Natural habitats remain on the decline worldwide, while extinction risks have not yet been formally assessed for the majority of plant species. This is of pressing concern in especially biodiverse regions where there are hotspots of species richness and endemism which are also under intense development. Borneo is the largest land mass of the Sundaland biodiversity hotspot and has rich and unique biodiversity. About one-third of Borneo’s plant species are endemic and known from nowhere else in the world. Conservation exigencies are examined for a subset of these species which are of its 65 endemic genera. Preliminary conservation assessments are made under the IUCN Red List Criterion B. Areas of remaining forest cover, which could be prioritised to protect as many species of endemic genera as possible, are highlighted and examined against existing protected areas (PAs). More than two-thirds of the species of endemic genera are assessed as Endangered or Critically Endangered, and although existing PAs account for about the same number of species, they cover only a small proportion of individual species distributions. As large-scale population extinctions are the forerunner of species extinctions, this is of deep concern. Hotspots of species richness are indicated in forests at low- to mid-elevation, especially in northwest Borneo, but these areas are now mostly in logged or severely logged forests outside of existing PAs. The distributions and species richness patterns of the endemic genera highlight the conservation exigencies for lowland forest habitats in Borneo, which additional remedial conservation measures must now heed.

Many aquatic species in the arid USA-Mexico borderlands region are imperiled, but limited information on distributions and threats often hinders management. To provide information on the distribution of the Western Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium), including the USA-federally endangered Sonoran Tiger Salamander (Ambystoma mavortium stebbinsi), we used traditional (seines, dip-nets) and modern (environmental DNA [eDNA]) methods to sample 91 waterbodies in northern Sonora, Mexico, during 2015-2018. The endemic Sonoran Tiger Salamander is threatened by introgressive hybridization and potential replacement by another sub-species of the Western Tiger Salamander, the non-native Barred Tiger Salamander (A. m. mavortium). Based on occupancy models that accounted for imperfect detection, eDNA sampling provided a similar detection probability (0.82 [95% CI: 0.56-0.94]) as seining (0.83 [0.46-0.96]) and much higher detection than dip-netting (0.09 [0.02-0.23]). Volume of water filtered had little effect on detection, possibly because turbid sites had greater densities of salamanders. Salamanders were estimated to occur at 51 sites in 3 river drainages in Sonora. These results indicate tiger salamanders are much more widespread in northern Sonora than previously documented, perhaps aided by changes in land and water management practices. However, because the two subspecies of salamanders cannot be reliably distinguished based on morphology or eDNA methods that are based on mitochondrial DNA, we are uncertain if we detected only native genotypes or if we documented recent invasion of the area by the non-native sub-species. Thus, there is an urgent need for methods to reliably distinguish the subspecies so managers can identify appropriate interventions.

Made available in DSpace on 2022-04-28T17:20:50Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2021-11-03 Salacia juradoi (Celastraceae), a new species of tree from the forest remnants of Guayaquil in coastal Ecuador, is here described and illustrated, and the affinities with closely morphologically related taxa is commented. The conservation status of Salacia juradoi is here assessed as Endangered. Univ Guayaquil, Fac Ciencias Nat, Dept Bot, Herbario GUAY, Av Raul Gomez Lince S-N & Av Juan Tanca Marengo, Guayaquil, Ecuador Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Dept Biodiversidade, Av 24 A,1515 Bela Vista, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil Univ Estadual Paulista UNESP, Inst Biociencias, Dept Biodiversidade, Av 24 A,1515 Bela Vista, BR-13506900 Rio Claro, SP, Brazil

Sturgeon populations are endangered worldwide, mainly due to habitat degradation and overexploitation causing recruitment failure. Understanding of early development, survival and growth in sturgeon is limited by a lack of a validated method to directly estimate larval age. In a laboratory calibration study, we reared white sturgeon (Acipenser transmontanus) larvae from hatch for 3 weeks at 12 and 16 °C and two feeding regimes (fed and unfed) to determine the usefulness of their vateritic microotoconia for larval ageing and the influence of environmental factors on ring structure and size. By marking the otoliths twice at known ages with Alizarin Red S, we were able to confirm the presence of daily rings in the largest microotoconia and the feasibility of ageing larval sturgeon using otoliths. Three observers blind to age and treatment assessed larval age from daily rings with an overall precision of 67%–82% and 30%–70% accuracy, dependent on larval age. Neither temperature nor feeding had a significant effect on ring width or readability. Thus, ageing sturgeon larvae using otolith microstructures is a promising tool for sturgeon conservation efforts.

This study of Astragalus holmgreniorum examines its adaptations to the warm desert environment and whether these adaptations will enable it to persist. Its spring ephemeral hemicryptophyte life‐history strategy is unusual in warm deserts. We used data from a 22‐year demographic study supplemented with reproductive output, seed bank, and germinant survival studies to examine the population dynamics of this species using discrete‐time stochastic matrix modeling. The model showed that A. holmgreniorum is likely to persist in the warm desert in spite of high dormant‐season mortality. It relies on a stochastically varying environment with high inter‐annual variation in precipitation for persistence, but without a long‐lived seed bank, environmental stochasticity confers no advantage. Episodic high reproductive output and frequent seedling recruitment along with a persistent seed bank are adaptations that facilitate its survival. These adaptations place its life‐history strategy further along the spectrum from “slower” to “faster” relative to other perennial spring ephemerals. The extinction risk for small populations is relatively high even though mean λ s > 1 because of the high variance in year quality. This risk is also strongly dependent on seed bank starting values, creating a moving window of extinction risk that varies with population size through time. Astragalus holmgreniorum life‐history strategy combines the perennial spring ephemeral life form with features more characteristic of desert annuals. These adaptations permit persistence in the warm desert environment. A promising conclusion is that new populations of this endangered species can likely be established through direct seeding., We used a 22‐year demographic dataset to produce a matrix population model for Astragalus holmgreniorum, an endangered Mojave Desert perennial with an unusual life‐history strategy. We demonstrated that the species depends on a stochastic environment for persistence. Favorable years permit high seed production and high recruitment success, while unfavorable years are tolerated through the existence of a long‐lived seed bank. This perennial spring ephemeral is short‐lived and has many life‐history features in common with desert annuals, increasing its probability of survival in the warm desert environment.

Wild, adfluvial brown trout (Salmo trutta) are iconic targets in recreational fisheries but also endangered in many native locations. We compared how fishing and natural selection affect the fitness-proxies of brown trout from two pure angling-selected strains and experimental crosses between an adfluvial, hatchery-bred strain and three wild, resident strains. We exposed age 1+ parr to predation risk under controlled conditions where their behaviour was monitored with PIT-telemetry, and stocked age 2+ fish in two natural lakes for experimental fishing. Predation mortality (16% of the fish) was negatively size-dependent, while capture probability, also reflecting survival, in the lakes (38.9% of the fish) was positively length- and condition-dependent. Angling-induced selection against low boldness and slow growth rates relative to gillnet fishing indicated gear-dependent potential for fisheries-induced evolution in behaviours and life-histories. Offspring of wild, resident fish showed slower growth rates than the crossbred strains. Strain effects suggested significant heritable scope for artificial selection on life-history traits and demonstrated that choices of fish supplementation by stocking may override the genetic effects induced by angling.

Demographic bottlenecks generally reduce genetic diversity through more intense genetic drift, but their net effect may vary along the genome due to the random nature of genetic drift and to local effects of recombination, mutation, and selection. Here, we analyzed the changes in genetic diversity following a bottleneck by comparing whole-genome diversity patterns in populations with and without severe recent documented declines of Iberian (Lynx pardinus, n = 31) and Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx, n = 29). As expected, overall genomic diversity correlated negatively with bottleneck intensity and/or duration. Correlations of genetic diversity with divergence, chromosome size, gene or functional site content, GC content, or recombination were observed in nonbottlenecked populations, but were weaker in bottlenecked populations. Also, functional features under intense purifying selection and the X chromosome showed an increase in the observed density of variants, even resulting in higher θW diversity than in nonbottlenecked populations. Increased diversity seems to be related to both a higher mutational input in those regions creating a large collection of low-frequency variants, a few of which increase in frequency during the bottleneck to the point they become detectable with our limited sample, and the reduced efficacy of purifying selection, which affects not only protein structure and function but also the regulation of gene expression. The results of this study alert to the possible reduction of fitness and adaptive potential associated with the genomic erosion in regulatory elements. Further, the detection of a gain of diversity in ultra-conserved elements can be used as a sensitive and easy-to-apply signature of genetic erosion in wild populations.