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Rando HM, Alexander EP, Preckler-Quisquater S, Quinn CB, Stutchman JT, Johnson JL, Bastounes ER, Horecka B, Black KL, Robson MP, Shepeleva DV, Herbeck YE, Kharlamova AV, Trut LN, Pauli JN, Sacks BN, Kukekova AV. Missing history of a modern domesticate: Historical demographics and genetic diversity in farm-bred red fox populations. J Hered 2024; 115:411-423. [PMID: 38624218 PMCID: PMC11235124 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esae022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 04/09/2024] [Indexed: 04/17/2024] Open
Abstract
The first record of captive-bred red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) dates to 1896 when a breeding enterprise emerged in the provinces of Atlantic Canada. Because its domestication happened during recent history, the red fox offers a unique opportunity to examine the genetic diversity of an emerging domesticated species in the context of documented historical and economic influences. In particular, the historical record suggests that North American and Eurasian farm-bred populations likely experienced different demographic trajectories. Here, we focus on the likely impacts of founder effects and genetic drift given historical trends in fox farming on North American and Eurasian farms. A total of 15 mitochondrial haplotypes were identified in 369 foxes from 10 farm populations that we genotyped (n = 161) or that were previously published. All haplotypes are endemic to North America. Although most haplotypes were consistent with eastern Canadian ancestry, a small number of foxes carried haplotypes typically found in Alaska and other regions of western North America. The presence of these haplotypes supports historical reports of wild foxes outside of Atlantic Canada being introduced into the breeding stock. These putative Alaskan and Western haplotypes were more frequently identified in Eurasian farms compared to North American farms, consistent with historical documentation suggesting that Eurasian economic and breeding practices were likely to maintain low-frequency haplotypes more effectively than in North America. Contextualizing inter- vs. intra-farm genetic diversity alongside the historical record is critical to understanding the origins of this emerging domesticate and the relationships between wild and farm-bred fox populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Halie M Rando
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
- Department of Computer Science, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States
| | - Emmarie P Alexander
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Sophie Preckler-Quisquater
- Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit, Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Cate B Quinn
- Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit, Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
- National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Missoula, MT, United States
| | - Jeremy T Stutchman
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Jennifer L Johnson
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Estelle R Bastounes
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
| | - Beata Horecka
- Faculty of Animal Sciences and Bioeconomy, Institute of Biological Basis of Animal Production, University of Life Sciences in Lublin, Lublin, Poland
| | - Kristina L Black
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Michael P Robson
- Department of Computer Science, Smith College, Northampton, MA 01063, United States
| | - Darya V Shepeleva
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Yury E Herbeck
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
- Koret School of Veterinary Medicine, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot 76100, Israel
| | - Anastasiya V Kharlamova
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Lyudmila N Trut
- Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Novosibirsk 630090, Russia
| | - Jonathan N Pauli
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI 53706, United States
| | - Benjamin N Sacks
- Mammalian Ecology and Conservation Unit, Veterinary Genetics Laboratory, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Anna V Kukekova
- Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL 61801, United States
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Przysiecki P, Filistowicz A, Skotarczak E, Dobrzynska P, Szwaczkowski T. Bayesian analysis of genetic and environmental effects on litter traits in a red fox (Vulpes vulpes) herd under long-term selection. Anim Sci J 2023; 94:e13807. [PMID: 36690423 DOI: 10.1111/asj.13807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2021] [Revised: 11/22/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
The economic efficiency of fur animal farms is considerably influenced by reproductive performance. The objectives of this study are to determine the effects of individual and maternal inbreeding, birth year, and dam and sire age on litter size at birth (LSB) and at weaning (LSW) and on preweaning mortality (PWM) in a red fox herd under long-term selection, and to determine the heritability of these traits. In total, 37,973 pedigreed individuals were used to calculate the inbreeding coefficients, based on records of 14,527 litters of 3856 dams born from the year 1958 to 2015. Two data sets (all data and data for the Polish variety) were analyzed. The highest heritability was estimated for PWM (0.292, 0.306) and the lowest for LSW (0.114, 0.115). In contrast to paternal and maternal inbreeding, litter inbreeding was found to exert a significant influence. The absence of significant effects of most varieties may suggest relatively large genetic similarity in the world red fox population. This corresponds with the similarity of the results obtained for the total herd and for the Polish variety. Favorable genetic trends were observed for the studied traits, indicating that the selection applied had been a relatively effective approach to improving these traits.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Andrzej Filistowicz
- Institute of Animal Science, Wrocław University of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wrocław, Poland
| | - Ewa Skotarczak
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Methods, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Patrycja Dobrzynska
- Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
| | - Tomasz Szwaczkowski
- Department of Genetics and Animal Breeding, Poznań University of Life Sciences, Poznań, Poland
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Wierzbicki H, Zatoń-Dobrowolska M, Mucha A, Moska M. Insight into the Genetic Population Structure of Wild Red Foxes in Poland Reveals Low Risk of Genetic Introgression from Escaped Farm Red Foxes. Genes (Basel) 2021; 12:genes12050637. [PMID: 33922932 PMCID: PMC8146073 DOI: 10.3390/genes12050637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2021] [Revised: 03/28/2021] [Accepted: 04/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this study we assessed the level of genetic introgression between red foxes bred on fur farms in Poland and the native wild population. We also evaluated the impact of a geographic barrier and isolation by distance on gene flow between two isolated subpopulations of the native red fox and their genetic differentiation. Nuclear and mitochondrial DNA was collected from a total of 308 individuals (200 farm and 108 wild red foxes) to study non-native allele flow from farm into wild red fox populations. Genetic structure analyses performed using 24 autosomal microsatellites showed two genetic clusters as being the most probable number of distinct populations. No strong admixture signals between farm and wild red foxes were detected, and significant genetic differentiation was identified between the two groups. This was also apparent from the mtDNA analysis. None of the concatenated haplotypes detected in farm foxes was found in wild animals. The consequence of this was that the haplotype network displayed two genetically distinct groups: farm foxes were completely separated from native ones. Neither the River Vistula nor isolation by distance had a significant impact on gene flow between the separated wild red fox subpopulations. The results of our research indicate a low probability of genetic introgression between farm and native red foxes, and no threat to the genetic integrity of this species.
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