Sloane M A, Sunnucks P, Alpers D, Beheregaray L B, Taylor A C
Department of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Victoria, 3800, Australia.
Mol Ecol. 2000 Sep;9(9):1233-40. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-294x.2000.00993.x.
The highly endangered northern hairy-nosed wombat (Lasiorhinus krefftii) is extremely difficult to study in the wild, and its numbers correspondingly difficult to estimate. Disturbance to the animals caused by trapping and radio-tracking may not only constitute an excessive risk to the population's viability, but may also yield biased data. The results of a pilot study are presented, which clearly show noninvasive genotyping to be a highly feasible and reliable alternative censusing method for L. krefftii. The protocol can identify individual wombats from single hairs collected remotely at burrow entrances, using: (i) a panel of microsatellite markers giving individual-specific genotypes; and (ii) a Y-linked sexing marker in combination with a single-copy X-linked amplification control. Using just the eight most variable microsatellites (of 20 available), only one in 200 pairs of full-sibs are predicted to share the same genotype. From 12 wombat hair samples collected on tape suspended over burrow entrances, three known female, two known male and an unknown wombat of each sex were identified. The approach will allow censusing of individuals that evade capture, and will also reveal some otherwise problematic aspects of the behaviour of this elusive animal.
极度濒危的北方毛鼻袋熊（Lasiorhinus krefftii）在野外极难研究，其数量也相应难以估计。诱捕和无线电追踪对这些动物造成的干扰不仅可能对该物种的生存构成极大风险，还可能产生有偏差的数据。本文展示了一项初步研究的结果，该结果清楚地表明，非侵入性基因分型是一种用于北方毛鼻袋熊的高度可行且可靠的替代普查方法。该方案可以通过以下方式从在洞穴入口处远程收集的单根毛发中识别个体袋熊：（i）一组能给出个体特异性基因型的微卫星标记；（ii）一个Y连锁性别标记与一个单拷贝X连锁扩增对照相结合。仅使用20个可用微卫星中最具变异性的8个，预计200对全同胞中只有一对会共享相同的基因型。从悬挂在洞穴入口上方的胶带上收集的12份袋熊毛发样本中，识别出了三只已知雌性、两只已知雄性以及各一只未知性别的袋熊。该方法将能够对逃避捕获的个体进行普查，还将揭示这种难以捉摸的动物行为中一些其他存在问题的方面。
