IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
|
||||||||||
|
||||||||||
|
|
| Senn, H.; Murray-Dickson, G.; Kitchener, A.C.; Riordan, P.; Mallon, D. | |
| Response to Janecka et al. 2017 | |
| 2018 Heredity (120): 581-585 | |
RE: Response to range-wide snow leopard phylogeography supports three subspecies In response to Janecka et al. (2017), we welcome this much-needed study on the phylogeography of the snow leopard. Gathering and producing a data set of this size and quality on such an elusive species has clearly taken a longterm and large-scale collaborative international effort which should not, in any sense, be underestimated. The genetic data will undoubtedly benefit both scientific understanding and inform future conservation management of the species. It is, however, unfortunate and unnecessary to conclude, based on this data set, that the snow leopard comprises three separate subspecies. We feel this conclusion the overinterpretats an otherwise solid molecular data set and that this move goes against a more general feeling in conservation genetics, that it is advisable to avoid the use of the ill-defined, and problematic "subspecies" label (Table 1) and to move away from reliance on traditional population genetic data alone to generate units of any kind below the species level. Instead, multiple lines of genetic and nongenetic evidence that have some basis in fitness should be preferred (Ryder 1986; Zink 2004; Frankham et al. 2011, 2012, 2017; Carstens et al. 2013; Heller et al. 2013; Zachos et al. 2013; Zachos 2015). We set out the basis for our opinion below and discuss this further. |
|
 |
PDF files are only accessible to Friends of the Cat Group. Joining Friends of the Cat Group gives you unlimited access and downloads in the Cat SG Library for one year, and allows you to receive our newsletter Cat News (2 regular issues per year plus special issues). More information how to join here |
(c) IUCN/SSC Cat Specialist Group ( IUCN - The World Conservation Union) |