the Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, IL.
J Hered. 2014 Jan-Feb;105(1):39-47. doi: 10.1093/jhered/est069. Epub 2013 Oct 23.
Populations of North American river otters (Lontra canadensis) declined throughout large portions of the continent during the early 1900s due to habitat degradation and unregulated trapping. River otters had been extirpated in North Dakota (ND), but the Red River Valley has since been recolonized, with potential source populations including the neighboring states of Minnesota or South Dakota, or the Canadian province of Manitoba (MB). We genotyped 9 microsatellite loci in 121 samples to determine the source population of river otters in the Red River Valley of ND, as well as to assess population structure and diversity of river otters in central North America. Overall, genetic diversity was high, with an average observed heterozygosity of 0.58. Genetic differentiation was low (F ST < 0.05) between river otters in ND and those of Minnesota, suggesting that eastern ND was recolonized by river otters from Minnesota. River otters from MB were genetically distinct from all other sampled populations. Low genetic differentiation (F ST = 0.044) between South Dakota and Louisiana (LA) suggested that reintroductions using LA stock were successful. The genetic distinctiveness of river otters from different geographic regions should be considered when deciding on source populations for future translocations.
由于栖息地退化和不受管制的诱捕，北美河狸（Lontra canadensis）的数量在 20 世纪初在大陆的大部分地区下降。北达科他州（ND）的河狸已经灭绝，但红河谷已经重新被占领，潜在的来源种群包括相邻的明尼苏达州或南达科他州，或加拿大的马尼托巴省（MB）。我们对 121 个样本中的 9 个微卫星基因座进行了基因分型，以确定 ND 红河谷的河狸来源种群，并评估北美中部河狸的种群结构和多样性。总体而言，遗传多样性很高，平均观察杂合度为 0.58。ND 的河狸与明尼苏达州的河狸之间的遗传分化程度较低（FST<0.05），表明明尼苏达州的河狸重新占领了 ND 的东部地区。MB 的河狸与所有其他抽样种群在遗传上是不同的。南达科他州和路易斯安那州（LA）之间的遗传分化程度较低（FST=0.044）表明，使用 LA 种群进行的重新引入是成功的。在决定未来的转移来源时，应考虑不同地理区域的河狸的遗传独特性。
