Phylogeography and Genetic Ancestry of Tigers

This genetic study sampled tigers across their range to clarify how many distinct lineages exist and how they are distributed. By analyzing molecular markers, the authors described population structure consistent with several recognized subspecies and identified diagnostic genetic signatures useful for assigning animals of unknown origin. The work informed both captive breeding management, where avoiding inappropriate mixing of lineages matters, and forensic efforts to trace trafficked tiger parts. It also fed long-running debates about how to classify tiger subspecies and how that classification should guide conservation units. Understanding genetic structure is critical because small, isolated populations risk inbreeding and loss of adaptive variation. This study helped establish the molecular foundation for managing tigers as genetically informed conservation units rather than as a single undifferentiated species.