An ice age almost one million years ago led to a meeting between leopards from central and southern Africa that were searching for grassland. New research into the leopards’ genetics – their mitogenome – has revealed that the descendants of these two groups are the leopards found today in South Africa’s Mpumalanga province. One of the researchers, molecular ecologist Laura Tensen, has been studying the genetic structure of South African leopards for 14 years. She explains how the new research can be used to help conserve the endangered big cats.
What is a mitogenome?
DNA is found in the nucleus of cells and also in the mitochondrial genome, or mitogenome. Mitogenomes are DNA molecules that float around outside the nucleus of a cell. They store their own set of genetic information and are maternally inherited, which means they are only passed on from mother to offspring.
