Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Chengdu Research Base of Giant Panda Breeding, Chengdu, Sichuan, China.
Mol Biol Evol. 2014 Oct;31(10):2663-71. doi: 10.1093/molbev/msu210. Epub 2014 Jul 10.
The captive genetic management of threatened species strives to preserve genetic diversity and avoid inbreeding to ensure populations remain available, healthy, and viable for future reintroduction. Determining and responding to the genetic status of captive populations is therefore paramount to these programs. Here, we genotyped 19 microsatellite loci for 240 captive giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) (∼64% of the captive population) from four breeding centers, Wolong (WL), Chengdu (CD), Louguantai (LGT), and Beijing (BJ), and analyzed 655 bp of mitochondrial DNA control region sequence for 220 of these animals. High levels of genetic diversity and low levels of inbreeding were estimated in the breeding centers, indicating that the captive population is genetically healthy and deliberate further genetic input from wild animals is unnecessary. However, the LGT population faces a higher risk of inbreeding, and significant genetic structure was detected among breeding centers, with LGT-CD and WL-BJ clustering separately. Based on these findings, we highlight that: 1) the LGT population should be managed as an independent captive population to resemble the genetic distinctness of their Qinling Mountain origins; 2) exchange between CD and WL should be encouraged because of similar wild founder sources; 3) the selection of captive individuals for reintroduction should consider their geographic origin, genetic background, and genetic contribution to wild populations; and 4) combining our molecular genetic data with existing pedigree data will better guide giant panda breeding and further reduce inbreeding into the future.
受威胁物种的圈养遗传管理努力保存遗传多样性并避免近亲繁殖，以确保种群保持可用、健康和有活力，以便未来再引入。因此，确定和应对圈养种群的遗传状况对于这些计划至关重要。在这里，我们对来自四个繁殖中心（卧龙（WL）、成都（CD）、楼观台（LGT）和北京（BJ）的 240 只大熊猫（Ailuropoda melanoleuca）（约 64%的圈养种群）进行了 19 个微卫星基因座的基因分型，并对其中 220 只动物的 655 bp 线粒体 DNA 控制区序列进行了分析。繁殖中心的遗传多样性水平较高，近亲繁殖程度较低，表明圈养种群的遗传健康状况良好，无需进一步从野生动物中输入遗传物质。然而，LGT 种群面临更高的近亲繁殖风险，并且在繁殖中心之间检测到显著的遗传结构，LGT-CD 和 WL-BJ 聚类分别。基于这些发现，我们强调：1）LGT 种群应作为一个独立的圈养种群进行管理，以反映其起源于秦岭山脉的遗传独特性；2）应鼓励 CD 和 WL 之间的交流，因为它们有相似的野生起源；3）选择用于再引入的圈养个体应考虑其地理起源、遗传背景以及对野生种群的遗传贡献；4）将我们的分子遗传数据与现有的血统数据相结合将更好地指导大熊猫的繁殖，并在未来进一步减少近亲繁殖。
