Wang Zhe, Lu Guanjie, Gao Yunyun, Yan Liping, Li Mingzhe, Hu Defu, Zhang Dong
School of Ecology and Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Qinghua East Road 35, Beijing 100083, China.
China Wildlife Conservation Association, Beijing 100714, China.
Animals (Basel). 2023 Jul 4;13(13):2191. doi: 10.3390/ani13132191.
Forest musk deer () are endangered ruminants whose adult males secrete musk. China has been breeding forest musk deer artificially since the 1950s in an effort to restore wild populations, with Shaanxi and Sichuan provinces as the two main sites for captive breeding. Genetic diversity is a significant indicator that determines the long-term viability and status of a population, particularly for species at risk of extinction. In this study, we analyzed the current genetic makeup of seven captive forest musk deer populations in the Shaanxi province, using the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (CR) as the molecular marker. We sequenced 604 bp of mtDNA CR, with an average content of A+T higher than G+C. We observed 111 variable sites and 39 different haplotypes from 338 sequences. The nucleotide diversity (Pi) and haplotype diversity (Hd) were 0.02887 and 0.908, respectively. Genetic differentiation between these populations was not significant, and the populations might not have experienced rapid growth. By combining our sequences with previous ones, we identified 65 unique haplotypes with 26 rare haplotypes and estimated a total of 90 haplotypes in Shaanxi province captive populations. The Shaanxi province and Sichuan province obtained 88 haplotypes, the haplotypes from the two populations were mixed together, and the two populations showed moderate genetic differentiation. Our findings suggested that captive forest musk deer populations in the Shaanxi province had high genetic diversity, with a rich founder population of about 90 maternal lines. Additionally, managers could develop genetic management plans for forest musk deer based on the haplotype database. Overall, our study will provide insights and guidelines for the conservation of genetic diversity in captive forest musk deer populations in the Shaanxi province.
林麝是濒危反刍动物，成年雄性林麝分泌麝香。自20世纪50年代以来，中国一直在人工养殖林麝，以恢复野生种群，陕西省和四川省是两个主要的圈养繁殖地。遗传多样性是决定种群长期生存能力和状况的重要指标，对于濒危物种尤为重要。在本研究中，我们以线粒体DNA（mtDNA）控制区（CR）为分子标记，分析了陕西省7个圈养林麝种群的当前遗传组成。我们对mtDNA CR的604 bp进行了测序，A+T的平均含量高于G+C。我们从338个序列中观察到111个可变位点和39种不同的单倍型。核苷酸多样性（Pi）和单倍型多样性（Hd）分别为0.02887和0.908。这些种群之间的遗传分化不显著，种群可能没有经历快速增长。通过将我们的序列与先前的序列相结合，我们在陕西省圈养种群中鉴定出65种独特单倍型，其中26种为稀有单倍型，并估计共有90种单倍型。陕西省和四川省共有88种单倍型，两个种群的单倍型混合在一起，两个种群表现出中等程度的遗传分化。我们的研究结果表明，陕西省圈养林麝种群具有较高的遗传多样性，约有90个母系的丰富奠基种群。此外，管理人员可以根据单倍型数据库制定林麝的遗传管理计划。总体而言，我们的研究将为陕西省圈养林麝种群遗传多样性的保护提供见解和指导。
