More recently, next-generation sequencing technologies and advances in bioinformatic tools have introduced a wider, genomic perspective to population ecology and conservation (Amato et al., 2009 Avise, 2010 Hohenlohe et al., 2020 Supple & Shapiro, 2018). Single- and multilocus molecular assays have been efficiently employed in a multitude of population and conservation genetic studies on endangered species to assess population divergence and gene flow, and how palaeogeographical and historical factors as well as habitat fragmentation may have affected contemporary population dynamics (e.g., Amos & Balmford, 2001 DeSalle & Amato, 2004 Hedrick, 2001).
This is particularly important when applying population genomics data to conservation of rare or elusive endangered species.
Overall, this study provides an example of how whole-genome analysis of a few individuals per population can help define population structure and intraspecific demographic dynamics. Genomic diversity of Komodo dragons was similar to that found in endangered or already extinct reptile species. Demographic inference suggested that Komodo dragons probably experienced a relatively steep population decline over the last million years, reaching a relatively stable N e during the Saalian glacial cycle (400–150 thousand years ago) followed by a rapid N e decrease. Degrees of genomic divergence among island populations were interpreted as a result of changes in sea level affecting connectivity across islands. The populations of the Island of Komodo and the northern coast of Flores, in particular, were identified as two distinct conservation units. In this study, we investigated the population structure, genomic diversity and demographic history of the Komodo dragon ( Varanus komodoensis), the world's largest lizard, by sequencing the whole genomes of 24 individuals from the five main Indonesian islands comprising the entire range of the species. Analysis of extensive data sets from whole-genome sequencing of even a few individuals allows the detection of patterns of fine-scale population structure and detailed reconstruction of demographic dynamics through time. Population and conservation genetics studies have greatly benefited from the development of new techniques and bioinformatic tools associated with next-generation sequencing.
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