| The lion (Panthera leo) is one of the most charismatic predators and plays an important role in the savanna ecosystem. Officially, two subspecies are recognized: the African lion (Panthera leo leo) and the Asiatic lion (Panthera leo persica). However, this distinction does not sufficiently reflect the genetic diversity within the species. A preliminary study by our group, based on mitochondrial DNA of lions from their entire geographical range, shows that West- and Central African lions form a distinct, statistically supported clade. Individual lions from West-and Central Africa demonstrate only little genetic diversity, indicating that these lions have gone through a "bottleneck" and show a different evolutionary history than the more diverse lions.from East and southern Africa . Climatic studies show that West- and Central Africa had a unique climatic history, characterized by hyperarid conditions in the Late Pleistocene. These conditions might have led to a lack of prey, resulting in regional extinction of the lion. Our data also show that there is a close genetic relationship between West- and Central African lions and Asiatic lions. We hypothesize that West- and Central Africa have been re-colonized from refugia in closer geographic proximity to India, for example North Africa or the Middle East and not from South or East Africa. Lion phylogeny has been studied by several groups, yet most groups had access to only a few or no samples from West- and Central Africa and most studies based their results entirely on mitochondrial DNA data. Although mitochondrial DNA is a suitable tool to get an impression of the phylogenetic relationships, it only gives information about the ancestry of the maternal lineage and one locus. In general, male lions migrate earlier and longer distances than females, while most females rarely leave their natal pride. When only maternally inherited markers are used, this leads to an underestimation of gene flow and thereby to a likely overestimation of the level of genetic structuring. In this study, data on the genetic diversity will be strongly extended in two ways: first, numerous samples from West-African countries will be available and the entire mitochondrial genome, autosomal nuclear genes and Y-chromosomal genes will be sequenced. SNPs will be developed to estimate genetic diversity within and between populations. It is important to gain genetic data on West- and Central African lions, since most populations in this area are small and isolated from other populations. The lion is this region is classified by IUCN as " Regionally Endangered" In comparison, Southern and Eastern Africa sustain larger and more stable lion populations and these lions have been classified by IUCN as " Vulnerable". The SNP data will provide information on the level of inbreeding of the West -and Central African lions as well as a number South African lion populations. With this study we will gain insight in the evolutionary history of the lion and on how lion populations are mutually related. Based on results of previous studies on the climatologic history and the genetic structure in species, we will design a model which describes the phylogenetic relationships and evolution of the lion, that also may reflect the evolutionary histories of other species in Africa. The comparison of the evolutionary histories of several predator and prey species in the savanna ecosystem may provide insight in the direct driving forces of local extinction, re-colonization and other population dynamics. Knowledge on phylogenetic relationships from previous studies can be extended and clearer conclusions on the taxonomic position of the lion in West and Central Africa can be made. It is important to look into the phylogeography and evolutionary history of a species to design a best fit management and conservation strategy. This may not only have consequences for in situ wildlife management and conservation, but may also have an impact on captive breeding programmes of zoos. |
