Genomic insights into recurrent demographic collapses and recovery dynamics in Tibetan antelopes (Pantholops hodgsoni)
摘要
Climate change and human activities since the late Pleistocene have profoundly impacted endemic species on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau. The Tibetan antelope (Pantholops hodgsonii), a keystone ungulate once heavily poached, experienced unclear demographic fluctuations in response to these pressures. Using whole-genome resequencing, we analyzed 85 Tibetan antelope individuals across three geographic populations to reconstruct their demographic history. Our findings reveal a climate-driven decline during the Last Glacial Period, with a bottleneck during the Last Glacial Maximum (LGM) and post-LGM recovery, aligning with ecological niche modeling that shows habitat contraction and expansion. We further detected repeated human-induced demographic collapses and recovery dynamics in Tibetan antelopes: (i) Neolithic collapse (around 6–4 thousand years ago) probably due to prehistoric overhunting; (ii) Bronze Age expansion (around 2.4 thousand years ago) possibly due to reduced hunting pressure as humans shifted to agro-pastoralism; (iii) an early 15th century expansion potentially from the influence of Tibetan Buddhism on reducing exploitation; (iv) a brief yet severe recent bottleneck during the 1950s–1990s caused by illegal poaching; and (v) a post-bottleneck recovery since 2000 due to enhanced protection. This study clarifies the interplay between climatic and anthropogenic impacts on Tibetan antelopes, offering insights for conserving the biodiversity on the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau.