title: Planning tiger recovery: Understanding intraspecific variation for effective conservation.
abstract: Although significantly more money is spent on the conservation of tigers than on any other threatened species, today only 3200 to 3600 tigers roam the forests of Asia, occupying only 7% of their historical range. Despite the global significance of and interest in tiger conservation, global approaches to plan tiger recovery are partly impeded by the lack of a consensus on the number of tiger subspecies or management units, because a comprehensive analysis of tiger variation is lacking. We analyzed variation among all nine putative tiger subspecies, using extensive data sets of several traits [morphological (craniodental and pelage), ecological, molecular]. Our analyses revealed little variation and large overlaps in each trait among putative subspecies, and molecular data showed extremely low diversity because of a severe Late Pleistocene population decline. Our results support recognition of only two subspecies: the Sunda tiger, Panthera tigris sondaica, and the continental tiger, Panthera tigris tigris, which consists of two (northern and southern) management units. Conservation management programs, such as captive breeding, reintroduction initiatives, or trans-boundary projects, rely on a durable, consistent characterization of subspecies as taxonomic units, defined by robust multiple lines of scientific evidence rather than single traits or ad hoc descriptions of one or few specimens. Our multiple-trait data set supports a fundamental rethinking of the conventional tiger taxonomy paradigm, which will have profound implications for the management of in situ and ex situ tiger populations and boost conservation efforts by facilitating a pragmatic approach to tiger conservation management worldwide.
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Andreas
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wilting
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Alexandre
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Courtiol
authors.affiliation: Selandia College, Bredahlsgade 1B, 4200 Slagelse, Denmark.
authors.forename: Per
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Christiansen
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jürgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Niedballa
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Anne K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Scharf
authors.affiliation: Center for GeoGenetics, Natural History Museum of Denmark, University of Copenhagen, 1350 Copenhagen, Denmark.
authors.forename: Ludovic
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Orlando
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Niko
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Balkenhol
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Heribert
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hofer
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Stephanie
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kramer-Schadt
authors.affiliation: Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW), Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17, 10315 Berlin, Germany. ; Institute for Biochemistry and Biology, Potsdam University, Karl-Liebknecht-Str. 24-25, 14476 Potsdam, Germany.
authors.forename: Jörns
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Fickel
authors.affiliation: Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Edinburgh EH1 1JF, UK. ; Institute of Geography, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 9XP, UK.
authors.forename: Andrew C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Kitchener
keywords: Felidae; Management Units; One Plan Approach; Subspecies; Taxonomy