Ancient DNA helped us uncover the Iberian lynx’s potential secret weapon against extinction

By Johanna L.A. Paijmans, Postdoctoral research fellow in Zoology, University of Cambridge
Axel Barlow, Lecturer in Zoology, Bangor University
José A. Godoy, Investigador Genómica de la Conservación , Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC)

Many large mammals have lost genetic diversity, often thanks to the actions of people shrinking their populations. The implications can be severe because without genetic diversity, a population does not have a “genetic database” to fall back on to adapt to environmental change.

The Iberian lynx (Lynx pardinus) is no stranger to this reduction in diversity. Human activity has driven populations to dangerously low numbers, leaving them with a shrinking genetic pool. This loss threatens the lynx’s ability…

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