Phylogeography and divergence times of cheetahs in Africa and Asia

This study examined genetic variation across the cheetah's range and delineated the relationships among African and Asiatic populations, supporting recognition of several subspecies. The authors estimated divergence times and found that the critically endangered Asiatic cheetah and the Northwest African cheetah are differentiated from southern and eastern African populations. Their results informed the subspecies scheme used in cheetah conservation, distinguishing forms such as the Asiatic, Northwest African, East African, and Southern African cheetahs. The work is important for prioritizing conservation, since the Asiatic cheetah survives only in tiny numbers in Iran and its distinctiveness underscores its irreplaceability. It exemplifies how phylogeography of a wide-ranging cat reveals conservation-relevant structure and how molecular divergence dating helps interpret whether populations represent genuine subspecies worth managing separately.