Abstract
This study evaluates the diversity of the so-called ‘Moroccan Royal lions’ using genealogical information. Lions are no longer extant in North Africa, but the previous wild population was an important element of the now-recognised northern subspecies (Panthera leo leo) that ranged across West Africa, North Africa and the Middle East into India. The remaining captive population of ‘Moroccan Royal lions’ seems to be significantly endangered by the loss of diversity due to the effective population size decrease. The pedigree file of this captive lion population consisted of 454 individuals, while the reference population included 98 animals (47 males and 51 females). The completeness of the pedigree data significantly decreased with an increasing number of generations. The highest percentage of pedigree completeness (over 70%) was achieved in the first generation of the reference population. Pedigree-based parameters derived from the common ancestor and gene origin were used to estimate the state of diversity. In the reference population, the average inbreeding coefficient was 2.14%, while the individual increase in inbreeding over generations was 2.31%. Overall, the reference population showed lower average inbreeding and average relatedness compared with the pedigree file. The number of founders (47), the effective number of founders (24) and the effective number of ancestors (22) were estimated in the reference population. The effective population size of 14.02 individuals confirms the critically endangered status of the population and rapid loss of diversity in the future. Thus, continuous monitoring of the genetic diversity of the ‘Moroccan Royal lion’ group is required, especially for long-term conservation management purposes, as it would be an important captive group should further DNA studies establish an affinity to P. leo leo.
Highlights
The lion Panthera leo [1] is one of the most charismatic mammalian species, a member of the family Felidae yet with an appearance and behaviour that differ considerably from other felid species
The Cape lion was found in South Africa, the Barbary lion occurred in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya) and the Asiatic lion ranged through the Middle East and Arabia through to India [5, 8, 9]
The dataset consisted of 454 individual records of the captive population of ‘Moroccan Rabat Zoo lineage’, which were recorded in Studbooks between 2011 and 2017, namely the studbooks maintained by the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria for the ‘Moroccan Royal lions’
Summary
The lion Panthera leo [1] is one of the most charismatic mammalian species, a member of the family Felidae yet with an appearance and behaviour that differ considerably from other felid species. P. leo was originally ranged across Africa (except the central Saharan regions), the Middle East, south-eastern Europe (Greece and Bulgaria), central Asia ( the Caucasus) and in north-western regions of South Asia (Pakistan and India) [4, 5]. The socalled ‘Barbary lion’ from North Africa was distinctive in being characterised by a massive mane that can be coloured from light to dark and can extend from the head, neck and down to the belly and under the belly to the elbows [6], as well as other morphological features [7]. Very early historical records mention the last remnants of European lions in ancient Greece, and a remnant population is thought to have been present in human prehistory in areas adjacent to the western coast of the Black Sea in today’s south-eastern Bulgaria [10]. In recent years, using molecular studies of lion populations worldwide, a consensus within the scientific community has redefined lions into two distinct subspecies, a northern subspecies Panthera leo leo and a Southern subspecies Panthera leo melanochaita [11,12,13]
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