Grueber C E, Peel E, Wright B, Hogg C J, Belov K
The University of Sydney, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Science, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
Reprod Fertil Dev. 2019 Jul;31(7):1296-1304. doi: 10.1071/RD18152.
Tasmanian devils are threatened in the wild by devil facial tumour disease: a transmissible cancer with a high fatality rate. In response, the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP) established an 'insurance population' to enable the preservation of genetic diversity and natural behaviours of devils. This breeding program includes a range of institutions and facilities, from zoo-based intensive enclosures to larger, more natural environments, and a strategic approach has been required to capture and maintain genetic diversity, natural behaviours and to ensure reproductive success. Laboratory-based research, particularly genetics, in tandem with adaptive management has helped the STDP reach its goals, and has directly contributed to the conservation of the species in the wild. Here we review this work and show that the Tasmanian devil breeding program is a powerful example of how genetic research can be used to understand and improve reproductive success in a threatened species.
袋獾在野外受到袋獾面部肿瘤病的威胁，这是一种致死率很高的传染性癌症。作为应对措施，拯救袋獾计划（STDP）建立了一个“保险种群”，以保护袋獾的遗传多样性和自然行为。这个繁殖计划包括一系列机构和设施，从动物园内的密集圈养环境到更大、更自然的环境，并且需要一种战略方法来获取和维持遗传多样性、自然行为并确保繁殖成功。基于实验室的研究，特别是遗传学研究，与适应性管理相结合，帮助拯救袋獾计划实现了其目标，并直接促进了该物种在野外的保护。在此，我们回顾这项工作，并表明袋獾繁殖计划是一个有力的例子，展示了如何利用遗传研究来理解和提高濒危物种的繁殖成功率。
