Good news for the California condor. Genomic research can help protect endangered birds of prey. Thought to be near extinction just a few short years ago, scientists now believe that the bird’s genetic diversity will allow the bird to adapt to environmental threats and thrive for generations to come.
What led to a reassessment of the condor’s future prospects? Genomic research, conducted by University of California researchers on a grant from the National Science Foundation.
UC researchers, led by prof Jacquelyn Robinson, compared the complete genomes of two California condors with those of an Andean condor. Their study found strong evidence of inbreeding among condors over the past few centuries but, overall, their findings discovered a wealth of diversity across most of the genome.
“You need genetic diversity to adapt, and the more genetic diversity they [California condors] have, hopefully, the more chance they have to adapt and persist,” said Robinson, who co-authored a paper in the journal Current Biology. “Our study is the first to begin quantifying diversity across the entire California condor genome, which provides us a lot of baseline information and will inform future research and conservation.”
The condor’s diversity is likely due to its past numbers, Robinson believes. While the number of surviving birds had dwindled to as low as 22 in the early 1980s, there was a time when thousands of condors flew freely throughout the state and as far east as Florida and New York. Indeed, their numbers probably far exceeded the number of Andean condors and turkey vultures, which remain fairly plentiful today.
“[Condors] have this legacy of high genetic diversity from their former abundance, so I think there is a chance that we could manage the population going into the future to maintain the genetic diversity they have now and not have any further losses,” Robinson said.
Condors and vultures are not the first birds of prey to receive the attention of genome researchers. Past studies of hawks, eagles and owls have isolated specific genes and gene sequences that seem to determine the predatory styles of different raptor species.
For example, a 2019 study by Yun Sung Cho and his colleagues (published in the journal Genome Biology) compared the sizes of gene families of birds of prey with other non-raptorial species. Their comparison revealed that raptor species exhibited gene families with “sensory perception of sound, regulation of anatomical structure morphogenesis, postsynaptic density and specialization, and learning functions,” all traits associated with predatory skills and behavior.
In addition, genomic research on falcons first conducted in 2013 has uncovered the unusual evolutionary pattern that has allowed these birds of prey to become the fastest and most successful hunters on the planet, in addition to providing them with a high degree of genetic diversity.
Despite their plentiful numbers overall, at least two dominant falcon species – the peregrine and staker – have been listed as endangered for much of the past decade. Environmental factors, including increased use of pesticides, over-capture for the falconry trade and habitat loss have contributed to these declines, scientists say.
Because of these persistent pressures, falcons may turn out to be more vulnerable to extinction than California condors. But genome researchers are hoping that further analysis of various falcon populations around the world will improve our understanding of their penchant for adaptation and help aid ongoing conservation efforts.