Multiscale analysis reveals restricted gene flow and a linear gradient in heterozygosity for an island population of feral horses

Canadian Journal of Zoology

Volumn 87, Issue 4, 2009, Pages 310-316

  Lucas, Z L ^a   McLoughlin, P D ^b   Coltman, D W ^c   Barber, C ^d  

^a Sable Island Green Horse Society Canada   (Canada)

^b UNIVERSITY OF SASKATCHEWAN   (Canada)

^c UNIVERSITY OF ALBERTA   (Canada)

^d SAINT MARY S UNIVERSITY   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

ALLELE; GENE FLOW; GENETIC VARIATION; HETEROZYGOSITY; INBREEDING; MAMMAL; SPATIAL ANALYSIS;

CANADA; NORTH AMERICA; NOVA SCOTIA; SABLE ISLAND;

EQUIDAE; EQUUS CABALLUS; MAMMALIA;

EID: 65349185045     PISSN: 00084301     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1139/Z09-019     Document Type: Article

References (50)

1. Aars, J., Ims, R.A., Liu, H.P., Mulvey, M., and Smith, M. 1998. Bank voles in linear habitats show restricted gene flow as revealed by mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA). Mol. Ecol. 7: 1383-1389. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294x.1998.00487. x. PMID:9787447.
2. Aberle, K.S., Hamann, H., Drögemüller, C., and Distl, O. 2004. Genetic diversity in German draught horse breeds compared with a group of primitive, riding and wild horses by means of microsatellite DNA markers. Anim. Genet. 35: 270-277. doi:10. 1111/j.1365-2052.2004.01166.x. PMID:15265065.
3. Achmann, R., Curik, I., Dovc, P., Kavar, T., Bodo, I., Habe, F., Marti, E., Sölkner, J., and Brem, G. 2004. Microsatellite diversity, population subdivision and gene flow in the Lipizzan horse. Anim. Genet. 35: 285-292. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2052.2004. 01157.x. PMID:15265067.
4. Amos, W., and Balmford, A. 2001. When does conservation genetics matter? Heredity, 87: 257-265. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2540. 2001.00940.x. PMID:11737272.
5. Azor, P.J., Valera, M., Gómez, M.D., Goyache, F., and Molina, A. 2007. Genetic characterization of the Spanish Trotter horse breed using microsatellite markers. Genet. Mol. Biol. 30: 37-42.
6. Behl, R., Behl, J., Gupta, N., Gupta, S.C., Ahlawat, S.P.S., Ragnekar, M., and Ahmed, Z. 2006. Genetic characterization of Zanskari breed of horse. J. Genet. 85: 199-203. doi:10.1007/BF02935331. PMID:17406094.
7. Berger, J. 1986. Wild horses of the Great Basin: social competition and population size. University of Chicago Press, Chicago. Beson, K. 1998. Towards a conservation strategy for Sable Island.
8. Canadian Wildlife Service, Atlantic Region, Halifax, N.S. Campbell, L. 1994. Sable Island shipwrecks: disaster and survival at the North Atlantic graveyard. Nimbus Publishing Ltd., Halifax, N.S.
9. Chesser, R.K. 1991. Gene diversity and female philopatry. Genetics, 127: 437-447. PMID:2004714.
10. Chesser, R.K. 1998. Relativity of behavioural interactions in socially structured populations. J. Mammal. 79: 713-724. doi:10. 2307/1383082.
11. Chetkiewicz, C.-L.B., St. Clair, C.C., and Boyce, M.S. 2006. Corridors for conservation: integrating pattern and process. Annu. Rev. Ecol. Syst. 37: 317-342. doi:10.1146/annurev.ecolsys.37. 091305.110050.
12. Christie, B. 1995. The horses of Sable Island. 2nd ed. Pottersfield Press, Halifax, N.S. Coltman, D.W., Pilkington, J.G., and Pemberton, J.M. 2003. Finescale genetic structure in a free-living ungulate population. Mol. Ecol. 12: 733-742. doi:10.1046/j.1365-294X.2003.01762.x. PMID:12675828.
13. Cullingham, C.I., Kyle, C.J., Pond, B.A., Rees, E.E., and White, B.N. 2009. Differential permeability of rivers to raccoon gene flow corresponds to rabies incidence in Ontario, Canada. Mol. Ecol. 18: 43-53. PMID:19140963.
14. England, P.R., Osler, G.H.R., Woodworth, L.M., Montgomery, M.E., Briscoe, D.A., and Frankham, R. 2003. Effects of intense versus diffuse population bottlenecks on microsatellite genetic diversity and evolutionary potential. Conserv. Genet. 4: 595-604. doi:10.1023/A:1025639811865.
15. Excoffier, L., Laval, G., and Schneider, S. 2005. Arlequin (version 3.0): an integrated software package for population genetics data analysis. Evol. Bioinform. Online, 1: 47-50.
16. Falconer, D.S., and Mackay, T.F.C. 1996. Introduction to quantitative genetics. 4th edition. Longman, Harlow, U.K.
17. Frankham, R. 1996. Relationship of genetic variation to population size in wildlife. Conserv. Biol. 10: 1500-1508. doi:10.1046/j. 1523-1739.1996.10061500.x.
18. Frankham, R. 1998. Inbreeding and extinction: island populations. Conserv. Biol. 12: 665-675. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.1998. 96456.x.
19. Frankham, R., Ballou, J.D., and Briscoe, D.D. 2002. Introduction to conservation genetics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
20. Frantz, A.C., Hamann, J.-L., and Klein, F. 2008. Fine-scale genetic structure of red deer (Cervus elaphus) in a French temperate forest. Eur. J. Wildl. Res. 54: 44-52. doi:10.1007/s10344-0070107-1.
21. Giacomoni, E.H., Fernández-Stolz, G.P., and Freitas, T.R.O. 2008. Genetic diversity in the Pantaneiro horse breed assessed using microsatellite DNA markers. Genet. Mol. Res. 7: 261-270. PMID:18551391.
22. Goudet, J. 1995. FSTAT (version 1.2): a computer program to calculate F-statistics. J. Hered. 86: 485-486.
23. Hardy, O.J., and Vekemans, X. 2002. SPAGe Di: a versatile computer program to analyse spatial genetic structure at the individual or population levels. Mol. Ecol. Notes, 2: 618-620. doi:10.1046/j.1471-8286.2002.00305. x.
24. Hazlitt, S.L., Eldridge, M.D.B., and Goldizen, A.W. 2004. Finescale spatial genetic correlation analyses reveal strong female philopatry within a brush-tailed rock-wallaby colony in southeast Queensland. Mol. Ecol. 13: 3621-3632. doi:10.1111/j. 1365-294X.2004.02342.x. PMID:15548278.
25. Lucas, Z., Raeside, J.R., and Betteridge, K.J. 1991. Non-invasive assessment of the incidences of pregnancy and pregnancy loss in the feral horses of Sable Island. J. Reprod. Fertil. 44(Suppl.): 479-488.
26. McCort, W.D. 1984. Behavior of feral horses and ponies. J. Anim. Sci. 58: 493-499.
27. McRae, B.H., and Beier, P. 2007. Circuit theory predicts gene flow in plant and animal populations. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 104: 19885-19890. doi:10.1073/pnas.0706568104. PMID:18056641.
28. Mech, S.G., and Hallett, J.G. 2001. Evaluating the effectiveness of corridors: a genetic approach. Conserv. Biol. 15: 467-474. doi:10.1046/j.1523-1739.2001.015002467.x.
29. Morais, J., Oom, M.M., Malta-Vacas, J., and Luis, C. 2005. Genetic structure of an endangered Portuguese semiferal pony breed, the Garrano. Biochem. Genet. 43: 347-364. doi:10.1007/s10528-005-6775-1. PMID:16187160.
30. Motro, U., and Thomson, G. 1982. On heterozygosity and the effective size of populations subject to size changes. Evolution, 36: 1059-1066. doi:10.2307/2408083.
31. Nei, M., Maruyama, T., and Chakraborty, R. 1975. The bottleneck effect and genetic variability in populations. Evolution, 29:1-10. doi:10.2307/2407137.
32. Nussey, D.H., Coltman, D.W., Coulson, T., Kruuk, L.E.B., Donald, A., Morris, S.J., Clutton-Brock, T.H., and Pemberton, J. 2005. Rapidly declining fine-scale spatial genetic structure in female red deer. Mol. Ecol. 14: 3395-3405. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X. 2005.02692.x. PMID:16156811.
33. Peakall, R., Ruibal, M., and Lindenmayer, D.B. 2003. Spatial autocorrelation analysis offers new insights into gene flow in the Australian bush rat, Rattus fuscipes. Evolution, 57: 1182-1195. PMID:12836834.
34. Plante, Y., Vega-Pla, J.L., Lucas, Z., Colling, D., De March, B., and Buchanan, F. 2007. Genetic diversity in a feral horse population from Sable Island, Canada. J. Hered. 98: 594-602. doi:10. 1093/jhered/esm064. PMID:17855732.
35. Rosenberg, D.K., Noon, B.R., and Meslow, E.C. 1997. Biological corridors: form, function, and efficacy. Bioscience, 47: 677-687. doi:10.2307/1313208.
36. Rutberg, A., and Keiper, R. 1993. Proximate causes of natal dispersal in feral ponies: some sex differences. Anim. Behav. 46: 969-975. doi:10.1006/anbe.1993.1278.
37. Spielman, D., Brook, B.W., and Frankham, R. 2004. Most species are not driven to extinction before genetic factors impact them. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 101: 15261-15264. doi:10.1073/pnas.0403809101. PMID:15477597.
38. Stevens, E. 1988. Contests between bands of feral horses for access to fresh water: the resident wins. Anim. Behav. 36: 1851-1853. doi:10.1016/S0003-3472(88)80132-5.
39. Storz, J.F. 1999. Genetic consequences of mammalian social structure. J. Mammal. 80: 553-569. doi:10.2307/1383301.
40. Swinburne, J., Gerstenberg, C., Breen, M., Aldridge, V., Lockhart, L., Marti, E., Antczak, D., Eggleston-Stott, M., Bailey, E., Mickelson, J., Røed, K., Lindgren, G., von Haeringen, W., Guérin, G., Bjarnason, J., Allen, T., and Binns, M. 2000. First comprehensive low-density horse linkage map based on two 3-generation, full-sibling, cross-bred horse reference families. Genomics, 66: 123-134. doi:10.1006/geno.2000.6207. PMID:10860657.
41. Tozaki, T., Kakoi, H., Mashima, S., Hiroto, K., Hasegawa, T., Ishida, N., Miura, N., and Tomita, M. 2000a. The isolation and characterization of 18 equine microsatellite loci, TKY272 - TKY289. Anim. Genet. 31: 149-150. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2052. 2000.00596.x. PMID:10782227.
42. Tozaki, T., Kakoi, H., Mashima, S., Hiroto, K., Hasegawa, T., Ishida, N., Miura, N., and Tomita, M. 2000b. The isolation and characterization of 34 equine microsatellite loci, TKY290 - TKY323. Anim. Genet. 31: 234-236. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2052. 2000.00596.x. PMID:10895323.
43. Tozaki, T., Mashima, S., Hirota, K., Miura, N., Choi-Miura, N.-H., and Tomita, M. 2001. Characterization of equine microsatellites and microsatellite-linked repetitive elements (eMLREs) by efficient cloningand genotyping methods. DNA Res. 8: 33-45. doi:10.1093/dnares/8.1.33. PMID:11258798.
44. van Haeringen, H., Bowling, A.T., Stott, M.L., Lenstra, J.A., and Zwaagstra, K.A. 1994. A highly polymorphic horse microsatellite locus: VHL20. Anim. Genet. 25: 207. PMID:7943974.
45. Vega-Pla, J.L., Calderón, J., Rodríguez-Gallardo, P.P., Martinez, A.M., and Rico, C. 2006. Saving feral horse populations: does it really matter? A case study of wild horses from Doñana National Park in southern Spain. Anim. Genet. 37: 571-578. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2052.2006. 01533.x. PMID:17121602.
46. Vucetich, J.A., and Waite, T.A. 1999. Erosion of heterozygosity in fluctuating populations. Conserv. Biol. 13: 860-868. doi:10. 1046/j.1523-1739.1999.98268.x.
47. Weir, B., and Cockerham, C. 1984. Estimating F-statistics for the analysis of population structure. Evolution, 38: 1358-1370. doi:10.2307/2408641.
48. White, T.A., and Searle, J.B. 2007. Genetic diversity and population size: island populations of the common shrew. Mol. Ecol. 16: 2005-2016. doi:10.1111/j.1365-294X.2007.03296.x. PMID:17498228.
49. Wright, S. 1965. The interpretation of population structure by Fstatistics with special regard to systems of mating. Evolution, 19: 395-420. doi:10.2307/2406450.
50. Zuccaro, A., Bordonaro, S., Criscione, A., Guastella, A.M., Perrotta, G., Blas, M., D'Urso, G., and Marletta, D. 2008. Genetic diversity and admixture analysis of Sanfratellano and three other Italian horse breeds assessed by microsatellite markers. Animal, 2: 991-998. doi:10.1017/ S1751731108002255.