Skip to main content

MINI REVIEW article

Front. Conserv. Sci.
Sec. Conservation Genetics and Genomics
Volume 6 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fcosc.2025.1512531
This article is part of the Research Topic Restoration Genetics and Genomics View all articles

Preserving Darwin's Fox: Genomic Tools for the Conservation of South America's Most Endangered Canid

Provisionally accepted
Cristobal Valenzuela-Turner Cristobal Valenzuela-Turner 1*José Horacio Grau José Horacio Grau 2Joerns Fickel Joerns Fickel 1,3Daniel W Foerster Daniel W Foerster 1
  • 1 Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (LG), Berlin, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
  • 2 Center for Species Survival, Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (SI), Front Royal, Virginia, United States
  • 3 Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, University of Potsdam, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Advances in high throughput sequencing (HTS) have made it a powerful resource for the conservation of threatened species, providing information at both population and individual levels to inform management decisions. In South America, however, the application of HTS in conservation has been limited, primarily due to challenges in funding and access to advanced genomic equipment and analytical expertise. Darwin's fox (Lycalopex fulvipes), endemic to Chile's Valdivian Temperate Rainforest, is the most endangered canid in South America with a small and declining population estimated at less than 1000 mature individuals. Despite its endangered status, significant knowledge gaps remain. Here we highlight the potential of HTS to address these challenges, such as clarifying its taxonomy, demographic history, geographic distribution, population structure, genetic diversity, and pathogen exposure. Integrating molecular data into conservation planning will be pivotal in ensuring the long-term survival of Darwin's fox by identifying priorities for targeted management interventions, highlighting areas of critical habitat for conservation, and guiding genetic rescue efforts to enhance genetic diversity and resilience.

    Keywords: conservation genomics, high-throughput sequencing, Lycalopex fulvipes, genetic diversity, Chile

    Received: 16 Oct 2024; Accepted: 06 Jan 2025.

    Copyright: © 2025 Valenzuela-Turner, Grau, Fickel and Foerster. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Cristobal Valenzuela-Turner, Department of Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (LG), Berlin, 10315, Baden-Württemberg, Germany

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.