Genetic Research
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Describes the efforts of the Snow Leopard Trust to use genetics to monitor and measure snow leopard populations.
Researchers are studying the
genetic material, called DNA, of snow leopards in hopes of learning
such diverse information as the current size and status of snow leopard
populations, to the history of the species as a whole. This work
is still in its very early stages. Eventually, however,
scientists hope that genetic analysis will be a powerful tool to help
design and evaluate conservation programs, and locate these programs in
the places where they can be most effective to ensure the survival of
the cat.
Quick Links:
Genetic research begins with the collection of a DNA sample. All of an animal's body cells contain exactly the same DNA. Therefore, the sample can come from many types of tissue, including blood, muscle, or hair.
In
the case of wild snow leopards, collecting the DNA sample can be the
trickiest step, because the cats are so elusive. Researchers must
devise clever ways to collect DNA from snow leopards without ever
seeing or touching the cats directly. They may place "hair
snares" made of wire along a snow leopard trail, or a piece of rough
carpet on a rock that snow leopards mark by cheek-rubbing, to grab a
few hairs as cats rub up against it. They are also investigating
whether they can extract usable DNA from snow leopard feces, which are
very easy to collect.
Once they have a tissue sample in hand, scientists take it to a laboratory where the DNA is extracted and analyzed.
Snow leopard researchers are using a technique called genetic fingerprinting to identify individual cats. As the term "genetic fingerprinting" implies, the DNA of every individual snow leopard is unique--just like a fingerprint. (Click here to learn more about how genetic fingerprinting works.) By studying and comparing the genetic fingerprints of many individual snow leopards, scientists can learn a lot about the snow leopard population within a certain area.
For example, scientists can determine the minimum number of snow leopards living in a certain area simply by counting the number of distinct individuals they can identify from genetic fingerprinting. However, not all of the snow leopards in an area will pass by the hair snare or leave other sign for scientists to collect within a given period of time. Therefore, scientists do statistical calculations to estimate the actual population size in the area.
Repeated over time, this sort of analysis can tell scientists whether the snow leopard population in a given area is increasing or decreasing.
Male and female snow leopards can also be distinguished based on their DNA. Therefore, genetic analysis can also yield the ratio of males to females in a given population. (Click here to read more about male and female DNA.)
Eventually, by combining the analysis of sex ratios with genetic fingerprinting, scientists may even be able to determine how different snow leopards in a population are related to each other, and reconstruct the family trees of wild snow leopards.
Finally, genetic analysis can help scientists answer questions about the snow leopard species as a whole. For example, today many snow leopard specialists believe a broad expanse open steppe and desert in Mongolia, western China and Kazakhstan, effectively divides the snow leopard's range into two, separate northern and southern segments.
Scientists hope to use genetic analysis to find out whether the northern and southern snow leopard populations are genetically distinct. For this analysis, they will probably study the snow leopards' mitochondrial DNA, which acts as a "molecular clock" that records how long the populations have been separated. (Click here to read more about mitochondrial DNA)
If the two populations are not genetically distinct, it might indicate that the break in the cat's range happened relatively recently, or that tiny pockets of mountainous habitat scattered throughout the Gobi desert may harbor snow leopards that represent a genetic connection between the northern and southern populations. On the other hand, if the two populations are genetically distinct, it might indicate that they have been separated for a long time and should even be thought of as different subspecies.
Knowing how many snow leopards are present in a given area and whether the population is increasing or decreasing will help the Snow Leopard Trust and others design and evaluate conservation programs.
For
example, conservation programs might be focused in an area where there
is a particularly high concentration of snow leopards, or where the
snow leopard population has recently begun to decline. An
increase in the snow leopard population in the area after a
conservation program is started would be an important indication that
the program is a success.
Genetic fingerprinting has been used to study a wide variety of species, including tigers, snakes, whales, bears, and even humans. So far, scientists have learned that genetic fingerprinting of snow leopards is complicated and a lot of work compared to many other species.
That's because the parts of the DNA that are studied in genetic fingerprinting seem to have very low diversity in snow leopards. If the DNA of most individuals is very similar, you have to look a lot harder to find the differences that can tell them apart. (Click here to read more about genetic diversity and genetic fingerprinting.)
The fact that these parts of snow leopard DNA aren't very diverse does tell us something about snow leopards as a species: it suggests they probably are not very genetically diverse in general. However, the reasons for this lack of diversity, and its consequences for snow leopard biology and conservation, are not yet clear.
The Snow Leopard Trust is collaborating with scientists around the world to understand snow leopard genetics. The Trust is coordinating much of this research, and has been,collecting DNA from captive snow leopards, museum specimens, and sometimes old samples from wild snow leopards. The Trust then helps distribute various tissue samples to geneticists who are working to improve the snow leopard specific techniques needed to carry out genetic fingerprinting and other genetic studies. The Trust is funding or providing co-funding for much of this research.
The Trust is also working to develop proposals with several prominent scientists for collecting genetic material from wild snow leopards.
Quick Links:
- How do scientists do genetic research?
- What questions about snow leopards can scientists answer with genetic research?
- How can the knowledge from genetic research help save snow leopards?
- What have scientists learned so far from genetic research?
- What are the next steps in genetic research?
- How is the Snow Leopard Trust helping with genetic research?
How do scientists do genetic research?
Genetic research begins with the collection of a DNA sample. All of an animal's body cells contain exactly the same DNA. Therefore, the sample can come from many types of tissue, including blood, muscle, or hair.
In
the case of wild snow leopards, collecting the DNA sample can be the
trickiest step, because the cats are so elusive. Researchers must
devise clever ways to collect DNA from snow leopards without ever
seeing or touching the cats directly. They may place "hair
snares" made of wire along a snow leopard trail, or a piece of rough
carpet on a rock that snow leopards mark by cheek-rubbing, to grab a
few hairs as cats rub up against it. They are also investigating
whether they can extract usable DNA from snow leopard feces, which are
very easy to collect. Once they have a tissue sample in hand, scientists take it to a laboratory where the DNA is extracted and analyzed.
What questions about snow leopards can scientists answer with genetic research?
Population Size
Snow leopard researchers are using a technique called genetic fingerprinting to identify individual cats. As the term "genetic fingerprinting" implies, the DNA of every individual snow leopard is unique--just like a fingerprint. (Click here to learn more about how genetic fingerprinting works.) By studying and comparing the genetic fingerprints of many individual snow leopards, scientists can learn a lot about the snow leopard population within a certain area.
For example, scientists can determine the minimum number of snow leopards living in a certain area simply by counting the number of distinct individuals they can identify from genetic fingerprinting. However, not all of the snow leopards in an area will pass by the hair snare or leave other sign for scientists to collect within a given period of time. Therefore, scientists do statistical calculations to estimate the actual population size in the area.
Repeated over time, this sort of analysis can tell scientists whether the snow leopard population in a given area is increasing or decreasing.
Family Tree
Male and female snow leopards can also be distinguished based on their DNA. Therefore, genetic analysis can also yield the ratio of males to females in a given population. (Click here to read more about male and female DNA.)
Eventually, by combining the analysis of sex ratios with genetic fingerprinting, scientists may even be able to determine how different snow leopards in a population are related to each other, and reconstruct the family trees of wild snow leopards.
Species History
Finally, genetic analysis can help scientists answer questions about the snow leopard species as a whole. For example, today many snow leopard specialists believe a broad expanse open steppe and desert in Mongolia, western China and Kazakhstan, effectively divides the snow leopard's range into two, separate northern and southern segments.
Scientists hope to use genetic analysis to find out whether the northern and southern snow leopard populations are genetically distinct. For this analysis, they will probably study the snow leopards' mitochondrial DNA, which acts as a "molecular clock" that records how long the populations have been separated. (Click here to read more about mitochondrial DNA)
If the two populations are not genetically distinct, it might indicate that the break in the cat's range happened relatively recently, or that tiny pockets of mountainous habitat scattered throughout the Gobi desert may harbor snow leopards that represent a genetic connection between the northern and southern populations. On the other hand, if the two populations are genetically distinct, it might indicate that they have been separated for a long time and should even be thought of as different subspecies.
How can the knowledge from genetic research help save snow leopards?
Knowing how many snow leopards are present in a given area and whether the population is increasing or decreasing will help the Snow Leopard Trust and others design and evaluate conservation programs.
For
example, conservation programs might be focused in an area where there
is a particularly high concentration of snow leopards, or where the
snow leopard population has recently begun to decline. An
increase in the snow leopard population in the area after a
conservation program is started would be an important indication that
the program is a success.Genetic research may also help shape the
conservation strategy for the snow leopard species as a whole. For
example, if the northern and southern populations are genetically
distinct, it would mean that we need ensure adequate conservation
programs are established in both regions so that we can save both
populations. In addition, if we wanted to try to repopulate areas
from which snow leopards have disappeared, we would need to make sure
we used snow leopards from the appropriate population.
What have scientists learned so far from genetic research?
Genetic fingerprinting has been used to study a wide variety of species, including tigers, snakes, whales, bears, and even humans. So far, scientists have learned that genetic fingerprinting of snow leopards is complicated and a lot of work compared to many other species.
That's because the parts of the DNA that are studied in genetic fingerprinting seem to have very low diversity in snow leopards. If the DNA of most individuals is very similar, you have to look a lot harder to find the differences that can tell them apart. (Click here to read more about genetic diversity and genetic fingerprinting.)
The fact that these parts of snow leopard DNA aren't very diverse does tell us something about snow leopards as a species: it suggests they probably are not very genetically diverse in general. However, the reasons for this lack of diversity, and its consequences for snow leopard biology and conservation, are not yet clear.
What are the next steps in genetic research?
Researchers would also like to
begin to study the genetics of wild snow leopards. Until now,
they have been working with samples of snow leopard DNA taken from
museum specimens and from captive animals whose lineage can be traced
to particular location in the wild. Because the endangered snow leopard is protected
by international treaties and by the laws of many snow leopard
countries, it can be difficult to obtain permission to collect and
transport snow leopard tissue samples.
How is the Snow Leopard Trust helping with genetic research?
The Snow Leopard Trust is collaborating with scientists around the world to understand snow leopard genetics. The Trust is coordinating much of this research, and has been,collecting DNA from captive snow leopards, museum specimens, and sometimes old samples from wild snow leopards. The Trust then helps distribute various tissue samples to geneticists who are working to improve the snow leopard specific techniques needed to carry out genetic fingerprinting and other genetic studies. The Trust is funding or providing co-funding for much of this research.
The Trust is also working to develop proposals with several prominent scientists for collecting genetic material from wild snow leopards.