20th anniversary of the history of genetic research on cave lions: A short review

This is the authors' abstract. We don't add key points for this paper.

The Panthera genus originated in Africa and subsequently spread to Eurasia, North America and South America. Species within this genus occupy dominant positions in ecological and food chains, but due to climatic fluctuations, changing ecosystems and various other ecological factors, several Panthera species have become extinct. The cave lion ( Panthera spelaea Goldfuss) is one of the iconic species of Pleistocene megafauna, and its genetic research began around twenty years ago. Despite the information available so far, a number of issues regarding taxonomy, microevolutionary processes in populations, and the causes of extinction at the boundary between the Pleistocene and Holocene for this top predator remain unclear. This review aims to systematize the available data on cave lion genetics and develop new directions for studying this animal, as well as considering the genetic prospects for lion survival in the Holocene period. • Despite 20 years of research, the genetic history of cave lion ( Panthera spelaea ) is still not clear. • Mito genome analyses reveal a significant difference in the time of divergence between the cave and modern lion lineages. • Only two nuclear genomes of cave lion have been published to date. • Nuclear genome analysis shows that P. spelaea diverged from P. leo about 500,000 years ago without any subsequent gene flow. • New paleogenomic data on the cave lion, as well as the American lion ( P. atrox ), are essential for future research.