New Genetic Study Sheds Light on Historical Divide
Johannesburg, Africa - A recent study has unveiled insights into the evolutionary history of the African leopard (Panthera pardus pardus). The research has identified two distinct genetic populations of leopards in the continent today, one found across most of sub-Saharan Africa, and another primarily inhabiting the Western Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal, and Mpumalanga provinces of South Africa.
The study, conducted by Australian researchers, suggests that the two leopard populations diverged around 960,000 to 440,000 years ago.
"We compiled the most comprehensive mtDNA dataset for leopards to date," said Declan Morris, who studied leopards in South Africa for his PhD at the University of Adelaide.
Mitochondrial DNA is passed down only from mothers to offspring. By mapping the distribution of the two lineages across present-day Africa, and modeling the known mutation rate of the NADH-5 gene, the scientists pinpointed the timing of the genetic split to coincide with a period of extreme aridity in the Limpopo River Basin.
Between 1 million and 600,000 years ago, the Limpopo Basin, situated at the crossroads of South Africa, Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique, transformed into an arid desert, isolating the two leopard populations.
To this day, the two populations remain separated by the Namib and Kalahari Deserts, as they have been for millions of years. However, the one region that has changed over time is the Limpopo Basin.
Now a subtropical region, the basin has become a zone where the two populations have reconnected and reintegrated, resulting in high levels of genetic diversity.
Conservation Implications
The new findings have implications for the conservation of the African leopard today.
"This information can be used to inform wildlife management decisions," Morris said.
Summary:
A new study has revealed that African leopards are divided into two genetically distinct populations. The populations diverged around 960,000 to 440,000 years ago, likely due to the formation of an arid desert in the Limpopo River Basin. The two populations remain separated by the Namib and Kalahari Deserts, but they have reconnected in the Limpopo Basin, which has become a subtropical region. The findings have implications for the conservation of the African leopard, as they can guide wildlife management decisions.