Genetic relationship and distribution of the Japanese wild boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax) and Ryukyu wild boar (Sus scrofa riukiuanus) analysed by mitochondrial DNA

Mitochondrial genetic variations were used to investigate the relationships between two Japanese wild boars, Japanese wild boar (Sus scrofa leucomystax) and Ryukyu wild boar (S.s. riukiuanus). Nucleotide sequences of the control (27 haplotypes) and cytochrome b (cyt-b) regions (19 haplotypes) were determined from 59 Japanese wild boars, 13 Ryukyu wild boars and 22 other boars and pigs. From phylogenetic analyses, the mtDNA of Ryukyu wild boar has a distinct lineage from that of Japanese wild boar, which was classified into the Asian pig lineage. This result suggests that the Ryukyu wild boar has a separate origin from the Japanese wild boar.     

Genetic variation in isozymes of wild boar (Sus scrofa ferus Linné)

Eleven isozyme systems were investigated in wild boar (Sus scrofa ferus L.) by means of horizontal starch gel-electrophoresis using liver and kidney extracts. Samples of 103 specimen that originated from three adjunct localities from Rhineland-Palatinate (Fed. Rep. Germany) were analysed. AAT, ACO, GDH, GPDH, LDH, ME, MPI, MR, PGDH, and PGI were invariant. Genetic polymorphism is described for PGM. The genetic polymorphism at Pgm2 is explained by a biallelic model. Observed genotypic structure did not differ significantly from Hardy-Wein-berg-proportions at this gene locus. The degree of heterozygosity is 58,3 % and Wright's Fixation Index F =–0.166 at Pgm2. The allelic structure at this gene locus differed to a great extent from that found in domestic swine, i. e. in domestic swine the faster migrating Pgm2 allozyme was only found in relative low frequencies compared to wild boar. The genetic polymorphisms were moderate in the wild boar population compared to electrophoretic data of other animal species.     

伏牛山北坡野猪(Sus scrofa)泥浴场的生境特征

2005年6月至8月,在伏牛山北坡对野猪的泥浴场特征进行了研究.野外设置了42个20×20m2样方和14个生态因子,以此为基准运用聚类分析和主成分分析的方法,对野猪泥浴场进行了分析,结果表明,野猪泥浴场的生境特征为:(1)安全舒适因子:无倒木、无树桩、隐蔽距离30m以下、黄泥土质、郁闭度80%以上;(2)植被地形因子:乔木距离适中、灌木距离小于1m、坡度小于30°;(3)植被类型因子:高度倾向阔叶林;(4)干扰因子:人为干扰距离大于500 m;(5)海拔因子:海拔高度大于1000 m.在水源距离和坡位两项上没有明显的偏向.     

The feasibility of reintroducing Wild Boar (Sus scrofa) to Scotland

The feasibility of reintroducing Wild Boar Sus scrofa to Scotland was investigated using the predictions of a Geographical information System (GIS) and a Population Viability Analysis (PVA). In the first stage of this study we summarized information from published literature on the biology, habitat requirements, home range use and population densities of Wild Boar, and using a GIS we identified four suitable sites of significant size, all located in Highlands. In the second stage we used a Population Viability Analysis (RAMAS/age), parameterized with published information on survival and fecundity of European Wild Boar populations, to calculate the number of animals required in a ‘release population’ if it were to survive on average 50 years. At the two largest sites that we considered, a release population of 50 animals would be likely to produce a viable population. The study concluded that biologically, the reintroduction of the Wild Boar is possible. However, a complementary study examining both the environmental and the potential wider ecological and socio-economic impacts of Wild Boar will be required before reintroduction is seriously considered.     

Estimating body mass of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) using body morphometrics

Wild pigs (Sus scrofa) are invading many areas globally and impacting biodiversity and economies in their non‐native range. Thus, wild pigs are often targeted for eradication efforts. Age‐ and sex‐specific body measurements are important for informing these eradication efforts because they reflect body condition, resource availability, and fecundity, which are common indicators of population trajectory. However, body mass is often difficult to collect, especially on large individuals that require specialized equipment or multiple people to weigh. Measurements that can be rapidly taken by a single land or wildlife manager on any size wild pig without aid from specialized equipment would be beneficial if they accurately infer wild pig body mass. Our goals were to assess whether morphometric measurements could accurately predict wild pig body mass, and to provide tools to directly input these measures and estimate wild pig body mass. Using linear models, we quantified the relationship between body mass and morphometric measurements (i.e., body length, chest girth, ear length, eye to snout length, hindfoot length, shoulder length, and tail length) from a subset (n = 102) of wild pigs culled at the Mississippi Alluvial Valley, Mississippi, USA. We evaluated separate models for each individual morphometric measurement. We then used the model coefficients to develop equations to predict wild pig body mass. We validated these equations predicting body mass of 1592 individuals collected across eight areas in Australia, Guam, and the USA for cross‐validation. Each developed equation remained accurate when cross‐validated across regions. Body length, chest girth, and shoulder length were the morphometrics that best predicted wild pig body mass. Our analyses indicated it is possible to use the presented equations to infer wild pig body mass from simple metrics.     

Reproduction in a population of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) subjected to lethal control

The continued range expansion of wild pigs (Sus scrofa) in North America is an increasing cause for concern because of the numerous negative impacts that wild pigs have on ecosystem structure and function. Once populations are established, wild pigs have proven to be extremely difficult to control, and close to impossible to eradicate. If effective control and removal techniques are to be developed, we must determine if wild pig populations respond to reductions in density by increasing reproductive output. This study was designed to examine if reproductive parameters of female wild pigs display a density-dependent response following a concentrated removal effort. We compared reproductive parameters and condition of adult sows that were collected between a control area and a treatment area where lethal removal occurred. From August 2004 to May 2006, we focused a concentrated removal effort within the treatment area. Although the population density was more than 65% greater in the control area than the treatment area during the study, we did not detect differences between areas for condition, litter size, ovarian mass, corpus luteum mass, or corpora lutea number. Several years of heavy mast production during the study may have negated any effect on condition and subsequent reproduction between the 2 study areas. These data suggest that reproductive parameters of wild pigs do not exhibit density-dependence during periods when pig populations are in good condition. © 2012 The Wildlife Society.     

访花昆虫野蚜蝇线粒体基因组结构分析

野蚜蝇Syrphus torvus(Osten-Sacken)成虫具访花习性,是重要的传粉昆虫;幼虫捕食蚜虫,是蚜虫重要天敌之一.本研究通过高通量测序、组装拼接获得了完整的野蚜蝇线粒体基因组全序列(GenBank登录号:MW074962),其序列全长为16 444 bp,包含13个蛋白编码基因(PCGs)、22个tRN...     

海南大田自然保护区野猪的生境选择

对海南大田自然保护区内野猪(Sus scrofa)的生境选择进行了研究。结果表明,野猪偏好选择低平地热带草原和灌丛草地,通常选择草本植物高、草本生物量大、草本覆盖度高、灌木矮小、1m以下当年枝比例高、隐蔽程度相对较低、接近水源的地点作为取食地,而选择灌木高大且密度高、灌木覆盖度高、草本植物高、隐蔽程度好、接近水源和远离人为干扰的地点作为卧息地。在雨季,野猪卧息地的灌木覆盖度和隐蔽度均比旱季高,而取食地的草本生物量也比旱季高。主成分分析表明,取食地第Ⅰ主成分的贡献率达35.51%,其中绝对值较大的有乔木密度、灌木高度、灌木覆盖度、1m以下当年枝比例、草本覆盖度和隐蔽级;卧息地第Ⅰ主成分的贡献率为39.57%,其中绝对值较大的出现在灌木高度、灌木覆盖度、1m以下当年枝比例、草本高度、草本覆盖度、草本生物量、距水源距离和隐蔽级。     

Biogeographical variation in the population density of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in western Eurasia

Aim We reviewed 54 studies reporting population densities of wild boar (Sus scrofa) in western Eurasia in order to investigate the roles of vegetation productivity [fraction of photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) index], winter harshness (mean January temperature) and presence/absence of wolves (Canis lupus) in shaping the biogeographical variation in population density of wild boar. Location We collected published data on the autumn–winter population density of wild boar (number of individuals km^?2) in 54 locations in western Eurasia, from 1966 to 2003. Methods The mean January temperature, obtained from the World Climate data base ( http://www.worldclimate.com ), was taken as a measure of winter severity. We used monthly 4 × 4 km MODIS FPAR data sets covering January 2000 to June 2004 to calculate the vegetation productivity index. In addition, we collected literature data about the presence or absence of wolves from the study areas. Results In the geographical span of 37–60° N, the population densities of wild boar declined by three orders of magnitude, from 10 to 0.01 individuals km^?2. The best multiple regression model (selected with the Akaike information criterion corrected for small samples) showed that mean January temperature and the vegetation productivity index were the most important factors explaining the biogeographical variation in population densities of wild boar. The impact of temperature was stronger than that of productivity. The presence of wolves had a weak limiting effect on population densities of wild boar at the biogeographical scale. Main conclusion We propose that winter harshness imposes density‐independent mortality on wild boar populations at higher latitudes. Competition for food in less productive regions may cause stronger density dependence in birth and death rates of wild boar populations. We expect that wild boar will respond to global warming by both an increase in local population densities and an expansion of their geographical range north and north‐eastwards.     

Wildlife genetics and disease: allozyme evolution in the wild boar (Sus scrofa) caused by a swine fever epidemy

Enzyme polymorphism at 42 loci was compared before and after a major epidemy of swine fever in wild boars from northern Vosges (France). No change was observed in the 38 monomorphic loci, but allele frequencies at the phosphoglucomutase locus PGM-2* changed significantly. Possible causes for this observation are discussed, and it appears that PGM-2 locus could be a genetic marker of resistance to this viral disease.     

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of the Indian pipistrelle Pipistrellus coromandra (Vespertilioninae)

We characterized the complete mitogenome of Pipistrellus coromandra (Indian pipistrelle) for comparative analysis of mitogenomes and for resolving the phylogenetic relationship of four tribes in the subfamily Vespertilioninae. The mitogenome size of P. coromandra was 17,153?bp, with a control region and a typical set of 37 mitochondrial genes. The nucleotide composition of the P. coromandra mitogenome showed an AT bias with a nucleotide composition of 33.5% A, 30.7% T, 13.3% G, and 22.5% C. The mitochondrial protein-coding genes in P. coromandra use the standard start codon (ATN), two stop codons (TAA and AGA), and two incomplete stop codons (TA- and T--). The intertribal relationship of four tribes was highly resolved from the phylogenetic analysis of mitogenome sequences.     

Influence of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase alleles on resistance to bovine tuberculosis in the European wild boar (Sus scrofa)

An association study was carried out to examine the influence of methylmalonyl-CoA mutase (MUT) polymorphisms on the susceptibility of a well-studied wild boar population from southern Spain to develop bovine tuberculosis (bTB). To this end, we examined polymorphisms at a closely linked dinucleotide microsatellite flanking exon 2 of the MUT gene in 37 wild boars with bTB and 36 non-infected individuals. The microsatellite showed low polymorphism in the studied population, with only three alleles (MUTm-A, MUTm-B and MUTm-C) found, in contrast to the 11 alleles previously reported for domestic pigs. Our case-control study showed that the MUTm-B allele was associated with disease in a dominant pattern (odds ratio = 3.36; 95% CI = 1.05-10.72; P = 0.04), while the MUTm AA genotype appeared to have a protective effect against bTB infection (odds ratio = 4.33; 95% CI = 1.20-14.96; P = 0.02). Interestingly, infected wild boars heterozygous for MUTm AB are at an advantage (11-fold) to contain the systemic spread of the disease when compared to other genotypes, implying that a balanced polymorphism may be present in the population. These results strengthen previous observations regarding the importance of the MUT gene on bTB resistance in wild boars and indicate that polymorphisms at this locus will influence the risk of acquiring and maintaining bTB in the studied population.     

Dispersal of freshwater invertebrates by large terrestrial mammals: a case study with wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Mediterranean wetlands

1. Many invertebrates inhabiting insular aquatic habitats rely on external agents or vectors to disperse. Besides water connections and wind, waterfowl and amphibians are known to mediate passive dispersal of freshwater invertebrates. However, the possibility of dispersal by terrestrial mammals has been largely overlooked. 2. We investigated the potential of both external and internal zoochorous dispersal of aquatic invertebrates by the wild boar (Sus scrofa) in Mediterranean wetlands in the Camargue (France). As wild boar frequently visit wetlands for feeding and wallowing purposes, we hypothesized that they may be important passive dispersal vectors of aquatic invertebrates at a local scale. Dried mud was collected from selected ‘rubbing trees’ used by boars to dispose of parasites. Additionally, faecal pellets were collected from different locations in the wetland area. 3. Seventeen freshwater invertebrate taxa including rotifers, cladocerans, copepods and ostracods hatched from sediment obtained from ‘rubbing trees’, while invertebrates hatching from dried faeces (10 taxa) were mainly rotifers. Dispersing invertebrates were collected up to 318 m from a nearest potential dispersal source. Both abundance and richness of invertebrates significantly decreased with dispersal distance. 4. Our results demonstrate that large mammals such as wild boar can act as dispersal vectors of aquatic invertebrates at a local scale in the wetland area of the Camargue and suggest that external transport may be quantitatively more important than internal transport. As wallowing (mud bathing) is common in many terrestrial mammals, this mode of dispersal may be quite widespread.     

Introduction of two chromosomal translocations of Sus scrofa nigripes and Sus scrofa scrofa into the genome of Sus scrofa domestica

Summary Hybrids between wild and domestic pigs with two types of translocations in the karyotype were studied. The translocations of type I were first detected in a population of the Middle Asian wild boars. Type II was identified in a populations of the Central European subspecies. A large number of Middle Asian and Central European hybrids and their F₁-F₃ hybrids from crosses with domestic pigs were viable. By means of differential chromosome staining, the mechanism of the formation of synthetic karyotypes, as well as some features of translocation inheritance, were established.The introduction of two translocations into a single genome and the same chromosome set of these hybrids not only modified chromosome number, but also the composition of the linkage groups. The hybrids heterozygous for two translocations and their hybrid progeny are characterized by an obligatory heterozygozity for a large number of genes, gene complexes and linked genes. It is suggested that this heterozygozity may be associated with heterotic events. The use of such hybrids in pig breeding may provide heterosis for viability and productivity.     

东北亚地区野猪种群mtDNA遗传结构及系统地理发生

研究测定了中国东北、华北及四川西部72个野猪(Susscrofa)个体线粒体控制区全序列,并结合GenBank报道的日本野猪(S.s.leucomystax)、琉球野猪(S.s.riukiuanus)72个同源区序列,分析了东北亚地区野猪线粒体DNA的变异及系统地理格局。在东北亚地区野猪的线粒体控制区共发现42个变异位点,均为转换,共定义了34个单元型。单元型之间的系统发生分析表明,东北亚地区野猪来自同一祖先。东北亚地区野猪现生种群具有显著的种群遗传结构,其中日本野猪与分布于中国东北地区的东北野猪之间亲缘关系较近;而琉球野猪则与华北野猪间亲缘关系较近,与日本野猪和东北野猪间的关系相对较远。嵌套进化枝系统地理分析(Nestedcladephylogeographicalanalysis,NCPA)表明:东北亚地区野猪由同一祖先经过长距离的迁徙而形成现生各种群(或亚种);琉球野猪应起源于大陆野猪,其种群演化可能经历了片断化事件;华北野猪呈现南部种群遗传多样性高的特点,其种群内部曾经历了一次分布区由南向北的扩张     

Cloning,characterization and chromosomal localization of the Sus scrofa SLC31A1 gene

Copper is an essential element necessary for normal function of numerous enzymes in all living organisms. Uptake of copper into the cell is thought to occur through the membrane protein, SLC31A1 (CTR1), which has been described in a variety of species including yeast, human and mouse. In this study, we present cloning, gene structure, chromosomal localization and expression pattern of the Sus scrofa SLC31A1 gene, which encodes a 189 amino acid protein. The (SSC) SLC31A1 gene is organized in four exons and spans an approximately 2.3 kb genomic region. We have localized the gene to chromosome 1q28-q2.13 using a somatic cell hybrid panel. This region shows conservation of synteny with human chromosome 9, where the human SLC31A1 (CTR1) gene has been localized. Expression studies suggest that SLC31A1 mRNA is transcribed in all tissues examined.     

一种猪溶菌酶来源的抗菌六肽的分离鉴定及其性质

为提高猪溶菌酶(Sus scrofa lysozyme,SSL)的抗革兰氏阴性菌活性,将其进行了不同蛋白酶的水解,选择抗革兰氏阴性菌效果最好的水解产物,利用凝胶过滤色谱和反相制备色谱进行分离,对其功能成分进行液质联用鉴定。对分离得到的物质进行抗菌活性验证和生物信息学的分析,并在此基础上对抗菌物质的杀菌机理进行了探讨。结果表明,胰蛋白酶的水解产物具有较高的杀灭革兰氏阴性菌的活性,进一步分离纯化得到了具有抗革兰氏阴性菌活性的六肽A-W-V-A-W-K。经化学合成验证,该六肽既保留了SSL的部分抗菌活性,也具备杀灭多种革兰氏阴性菌的能力。进一步分析发现其位于SSL分子C端的一个螺旋-回环-螺旋的结构中,并由此推测其杀菌机理是通过改变细胞膜的渗透性,进而使细胞内溶物流出而造成细胞死亡,而抗菌实验也验证了这一推测。该抗菌肽的发现为后续提高SSL的抗菌活性提供了理论依据。