Extremely low genetic diversity and small Ne in the Critically Endangered Nangur Spiny Skink (Nangura spinosa) of eastern Australia
Bail, Nicholas J., Higgie, Megan, Ferguson, Daniel J., and Hoskin, Conrad J. (2026) Extremely low genetic diversity and small Ne in the Critically Endangered Nangur Spiny Skink (Nangura spinosa) of eastern Australia. Conservation Genetics, 27 (5). 104.
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Abstract
Globally, many species have small, fragmented populations and hence genetic factors become a primary threat to their persistence. The Critically Endangered Nangur Spiny Skink (Nangura spinosa) inhabits vine thicket in Nangur and Oakview National Parks in south-east Queensland, Australia. The two populations are naturally isolated and are now very small, with census estimates of < 50 in the Nangur population and ~ 1000 at Oakview. Using a genome-wide SNP dataset, we conducted a genetic health assessment to provide management actions for species recovery. The populations form two distinct genetic groups, with high genetic differentiation. In contrast, there is high connectivity within each population, likely driven by regular dispersal over very short distances and infrequent movements over longer distances. The Oakview population had low heterozygosity (H<inf>obs</inf> = 0.139; H<inf>exp</inf> = 0.142; mean individual F = 0.116) and contained 72% of the SNPs. The Nangur population had very low heterozygosity (H<inf>obs</inf> = 0.114; H<inf>exp</inf> = 0.112; mean individual F = 0.289). N<inf>e</inf> estimates for the populations were very small: ~16–43 for Nangur and ~ 66–179 for Oakview. Genetic health metrics for the Oakview population are comparable to other Critically Endangered Australian skinks, but are much worse for Nangur. The results for the Nangur population indicate high levels of inbreeding, high relatedness, and very low individual heterozygosity. Poor genetic health is likely already contributing to fitness loss and declines, especially for the Nangur population. We recommend within-population translocations and/or managed breeding in captivity to slow genetic erosion. Additionally, genetic rescue is urgently required, via crosses between the populations. This study is a clear example of how genetic data can assist species recovery.
| Item ID: | 93934 |
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| Item Type: | Article (Research - C1) |
| ISSN: | 1572-9737 |
| Keywords: | Conservation genetics, Nangur Spiny Skink, Nangura spinosa, Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), Threatened species management |
| Copyright Information: | © The Author(s) 2026. This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. |
| Funders: | Wildlife & Threatened Species Operations, Queensland Department of Environment, Tourism, Science, and Innovation, The Foundation for Australia’s Most Endangered Species, Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship [DOI: https://doi.org/10.82133/C42F-K220] at James Cook University. |
| Research Data: | https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.32312667 |
| Date Deposited: | 01 Oct 2026 04:31 |
| FoR Codes: | 41 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES > 4104 Environmental management > 410401 Conservation and biodiversity @ 50% 31 BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES > 3105 Genetics > 310509 Genomics @ 50% |
| SEO Codes: | 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1806 Terrestrial systems and management > 180606 Terrestrial biodiversity @ 50% 18 ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT > 1806 Terrestrial systems and management > 180601 Assessment and management of terrestrial ecosystems @ 50% |
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