Researchers from the University of California, Davis, have uncovered a promising path to restore the dwindling population of Lassen red foxes, a mountain-dwelling subspecies facing the threat of inbreeding. The study, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, reveals the fascinating genetic history of these elusive creatures and offers hope for their future survival.
Uncovering the Genetic Past
Cate Quinn, a postdoctoral research fellow in the UC Davis Museum of Wildlife and Fish Biology and lead author on the study, led a research team that sequenced the genomes of 28 montane red foxes from across the Western United States. Their results painted an extraordinary story of evolution in the foxes.
Back when the montane red foxes thrived, thousands of years before they fragmented into distinct populations between the mountains back to humans and even then crashed to just about a dozen or so everywhere but in the “Northern Rockies” subpopulation (n early-extinct variant is on hand in eastern Canada as ‘island’ red foxes), strings of abundant and interconnected mooching throughout territories from Pacific strands all through Colorado and Washington. But this patchwork of genetics began to unravel in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with widespread trapping and poisoning; as a result, there are fewer Lassen red foxes.
The Inbreeding Crisis
In this case, the analysis unveiled an unfortunate fact regarding the Lassen red foxes in the present time: They are experiencing problems associated with inbreeding. The population, with a census size of just around 30 adults, is isolated and genetically depauperate. The inbreeding depression has undermined the fitness and fertility of the foxes, making them even less viable as a population.
Over the past century, these Lassen red foxes have grown apart from their Oregon, Washington Rockies, and North Cascades giants — shattering an otherwise robust gene flow. The consequences of inbreeding are that relatively few adults have been interbreeding for generations, reinforcing alleles that cause genetic defects like cleft palates and acromelanismHis isolation has also made the Lassen population particularly susceptible to the ravages of inbreeding.
Conclusion
The results of this groundbreaking study indicate there is some hope for the Lassen red foxes. With knowledge of the genetic past and current difficulties for this imperiled subspecies, researchers may now consider employing genetic rescue — a conservation approach that involves supplementing struggling populations with new genetic material. But with the proper interventions, there may still be hope to bring back Lassen red foxes and save an ecologically significant piece of California mountaintop. This work is a timely reminder that the key to conserving our ecological heritage can sometimes be hidden Inside the DNA of the species we wish to save.
