Pilot study of genetic relatedness in a solitary small carnivore, the weasel: : implications for kinship and dispersal
- Autores: Caterina Magrini, Michele Cento, Emiliano Manzo, Massimo Pierpaoli, Livia Zapponi, Roberto Cozzolino
- Localización: Ecologia mediterranea: Revue internationale d'écologie méditerranéenne = International Journal of Mediterranean Ecology, ISSN 1775-4100, Vol. 38, Nº. 2, 2012, págs. 23-27
- Idioma: inglés
- Títulos paralelos:
- Étude pilote de la parenté génétique chez un petit carnivore solitaire, la belette: implications pour la parenté et la dispersion
- Enlaces
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Resumen
Few researches have been carried out on wild populations of small carnivores involving animals live trapping. Problems in field data collection make spatial and reproductive dynamics of these species still not understood. This research used data about only 14 live trapped individuals, because of the quoted problems, nevertheless results showed important and preliminary considerations on this topic. In the study, genetic microsatellite methodology applied to natural weasel population produced data on kinship and dispersal patterns. All the 11 microsatellite analyzed loci were found polymorphic, with an average number of alleles per locus of 5.36; estimated expected heterozygosity He (0.62) is at the highest end of the range of other Mustela species. No significant deviations from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were found (p >=0.05). The analysis of genetic kinship showed no full siblings and only one parent-off-spring pair: so only 1.09% of the total possible pair wise comparisons (91) showed close genetic kinship. The proportion of related animals from the sampled population was 14,2%
