Effective Population Size (Ne) of Swift Parrots | Video Abstract

Understanding the current population size of small, spatially aggregating populations
of species is essential for their conservation. Reliable estimates of the effective
population size (Ne) can be used to provide an early warning for conservation
managers of the risks to genetic viability of small populations. Critically endangered,
migratory swift parrots Lathamus discolor exist in a single panmictic population
in Australia. In their Tasmanian breeding range, they are at severe risk of
predation by introduced sugar gliders, exacerbated by deforestation. We used three
genetic approaches to estimate Ne using DNA samples genotyped by microsatellite
markers and existing life-history data of swift parrots. Based on all samples, we
revealed small contemporary Ne estimates across methods (range: 44–140), supporting
the need to urgently address threatening processes. Using the 0.5 Ne/N ratio
calculated from demographic data suggests that the minimum potential contemporary
population size is below 300 individual swift parrots. This is considerably
lower than the published estimates derived from expert elicitation, and accords with
modeled estimates of extinction risk in this species. Our study has important implications
for other threatened species with unknown population sizes and demonstrates
that by utilizing available genetic data, reasonable estimates of Ne can be
derived.

Olah G & Stojanovic D, Webb M H, Waples R, Heinsohn R (2020) Comparison of three techniques for genetic estimation of effective population size in a critically endangered parrot. Animal Conservation https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary...

DOI of the paper: https://doi.org/10.1111/ACV.12655
DOI of the video: https://doi.org/10.5446/51668

Media release: http://prez.ly/Uk4b
Altmetric attention score: https://wiley.altmetric.com/details/9...

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