Nuijten Rascha J M, Bosse Mirte, Crooijmans Richard P M A, Madsen Ole, Schaftenaar Willem, Ryder Oliver A, Groenen Martien A M, Megens Hendrik-Jan
Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre (ABGC), Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands; Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), 6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands.
Animal Breeding and Genomics Centre (ABGC), Wageningen University, 6708 PB Wageningen, Netherlands.
Int J Genomics. 2016;2016:5613862. doi: 10.1155/2016/5613862. Epub 2016 Mar 16.
The list of threatened and endangered species is growing rapidly, due to various anthropogenic causes. Many endangered species are present in captivity and actively managed in breeding programs in which often little is known about the founder individuals. Recent developments in genetic research techniques have made it possible to sequence and study whole genomes. In this study we used the critically endangered Visayan warty pig (Sus cebifrons) as a case study to test the use of genomic information as a tool in conservation management. Two captive populations of S. cebifrons exist, which originated from two different Philippine islands. We found some evidence for a recent split between the two island populations; however all individuals that were sequenced show a similar demographic history. Evidence for both past and recent inbreeding indicated that the founders were at least to some extent related. Together with this, the low level of nucleotide diversity compared to other Sus species potentially poses a threat to the viability of the captive populations. In conclusion, genomic techniques answered some important questions about this critically endangered mammal and can be a valuable toolset to inform future conservation management in other species as well.
由于各种人为原因，濒危物种的名单正在迅速增加。许多濒危物种被圈养，并在繁殖计划中得到积极管理，但人们对这些物种的奠基个体往往知之甚少。基因研究技术的最新发展使得对整个基因组进行测序和研究成为可能。在本研究中，我们以极度濒危的米沙鄢疣猪（Sus cebifrons）为例，测试基因组信息作为保护管理工具的应用。现存两个圈养的米沙鄢疣猪种群，它们分别来自菲律宾的两个不同岛屿。我们发现了一些证据，表明这两个岛屿种群最近出现了分化；然而，所有测序的个体都显示出相似的种群历史。过去和近期近亲繁殖的证据表明，这些奠基个体至少在一定程度上存在亲缘关系。与此同时，与其他猪属物种相比，米沙鄢疣猪的核苷酸多样性水平较低，这可能对圈养种群的生存能力构成威胁。总之，基因组技术解答了关于这种极度濒危哺乳动物的一些重要问题，并且也可以成为为其他物种未来的保护管理提供信息的宝贵工具集。
