EBP-Nor has facilitated two new scientific publications, one on Svalbard reindeer and the other on Atlantic puffins, using complete high-quality reference genomes and historical specimens to study the genomic consequences of long-term isolation, small population size, and climate change in these charismatic Arctic organisms.
Svalbard Reindeer
The Svalbard reindeer is an endemic subspecies that colonized the Svalbard archipelago ca. 6,000–8,000 years ago and now shows numerous physiological and morphological adaptations to its arctic habitat. In a new study, published in the journal iScience, researchers used a novel chromosome-level assembly for Svalbard reindeer to analyze 133 reindeer genomes spanning Svalbard and most of the species' Holarctic range.
The researchers found that long-term isolation and high inbreeding levels may have facilitated the reduction of highly deleterious—and to a lesser extent, moderately deleterious—alleles in the Svalbard reindeer genome. This suggests that the Svalbard reindeer population may be more resilient to genetic threats such as inbreeding depression than other reindeer populations.
Atlantic Puffins
The Arctic is experiencing the fastest rates of global warming, leading to shifts in the distribution of its biota and increasing the potential for hybridization. However, genomic evidence of recent hybridization events in the Arctic remains unexpectedly rare.
In a new study, published in the journal Science Advances, researchers used whole-genome sequencing of contemporary and 122-year-old historical specimens to investigate the origin of an Arctic hybrid population of Atlantic puffins on Bjørnøya, Norway.
The researchers found that the hybridization between the High Arctic, large-bodied subspecies F. a. naumanni and the temperate, smaller-sized subspecies F. a. arctica began as recently as six generations ago due to an unexpected southward range expansion of F. a. naumanni. Moreover, the researchers found a significant temporal loss of genetic diversity across Arctic and temperate puffin populations.
Implications for Conservation
The findings of these two studies have important implications for the conservation of charismatic Arctic organisms in the face of climate change. The study on Svalbard reindeer suggests that the species may be more resilient to genetic threats than previously thought. However, the study on Atlantic puffins suggests that hybridization and loss of genetic diversity are already occurring in some Arctic populations, which could make them more vulnerable to climate change.
These studies highlight the importance of using complete high-quality reference genomes and historical specimens to study the genomic consequences of climate change in Arctic organisms. This information can be used to develop more effective conservation strategies for these species.