We report on the assessment of the level of genetic diversity of the capercaillie in Belarus. This species of birds is a valuable biological resource, and also acts as a natural indicator for the state of large forests and the degree of their disturbance by human activities. Two subspecies of the capercaillie —Tetrao urogallus major (C. L. Brehm, 1831) and Tetrao urogallus pleskei (Stegmann, 1926) have been described for Belarus. The first domain of the mitochondrial DNA control region was used as the molecular marker for the study. An additional assessment of the level of genetic diversity of the capercaillie was carried out by calculating the effective size of its population (Ne) in Belarus. We found that the absence of subspecific structure is characteristic for all samples of the capercaillie from Belarus. The data on the intraspecific structure and genetic diversity of the capercaillie from Belarus allows us to considerits population in the central and eastern parts of the country as stable and sustainable. This can be explained by its inclusion in the general phylogeographic structure of birds of the boreal lineage. The low values of the effective population size for the partially isolated capercaillie population from the western part of the country indicate the need for increased attention and further monitoring of that population.
American mink (Neovison vison) is both a problematic invader and an economically valuable fur breed species in Belarus. The increasing scale of mink breeding for fur and the growing impact of this invasive species on the local ecosystems requires sound, novel strategies for managing both farm and wild populations. Containment of wild American mink populations under the effects of possible migration from the fur farms could be especially problematic. With that issue in mind, we have used microsatellite analysis todetermine the genetic polymorphism in two color breeds of farm-bred American mink in the populations of several Belorussian model fur farms, as well as the same characteristics for the feral populations on the territories adjacent to said fur farms. We confirm the presence of effective influx of mink into the wild from fur farms, determined through the means of analyzing microsatellite genotype data of feral and farm populations.
Hybridisation with domestic species is one of the prominent threats to conser-vation of numerous valuable species in Belarus, in particular the grey wolf (Canis lupus Linnaeus, 1758), the population of which has previously shown unusually divergent genotypes, indicating a possible admixture with free-ranging dogs (Canis lupus familiaris Linnaeus, 1758). Such admixture could threaten the future of the species already weakened by anthropogenic pressure. Reports of hybrids in Belarus based on morphological characteristics have been steadily increasing in frequency since 2010, which can be tied with a growing food availability for feral dogs and low population density of grey wolf facili-tating hybridisation. A limited number of genetic studies with sampling that partially covered Belarus did not detect any traces of hybridisation. Here we report our estimate of genetic diversity in the Belarusian population of grey wolf according to control region (D-loop) mtDNA sequence analysis. We ana-lysed tissue samples from 35 specimens harvested during legal hunts across 25 administrative districts from all 6 regions of Belarus between 2009 and 2022, with 9 of the specimens reported to have morphological characteristics of wolf–dog hybrids. We detected 6 haplotypes among those 35 specimens, 4 of which were found among the likely wolf–dog hybrids. Clade analysis of the obtained sequences with 100 confirmed sequences of wolves, dogs, and their hybrids from the NCBI Genbank database has shown the presence of possible wolf–dog hybrids in our sample. The Belarusian wolf population has shown a low nucleotide and a relatively high haplotype diversity. The discovered genet-ic diversity data of the Belarusian wolf population is mostly in line with studies of similar wolf populations across Europe. The persistence of large wolf meta-populations across Eastern Europe and Russia, combined with the high mobility of the animal, seems to be the probable cause of genetic diversity of wolf populations in Belarus, but some degree of wolf–dog hybridisation could also explain the observed genetic heterogeneity, which invites further research based on nuclear markers.
The paper presents data on the assessment of the genetic diversity of five subpopulations of the European bison (Bison bonasus) in Belarus — from the National Park “Belovezhskaya Pushcha”, the National Park “Pripyatsky”, the Osipovichi district (Mogilev area), SEI “Berezinsky Biosphere Reserve” and the Grodno region. In general, the work includes 30 samples of muscle tissue from the collection of Gene bank of wild fauna in SSPA “SPC NAS of Belarus on Bioresources” (Minsk, Belarus). Microsatellites were used as markers to assess genetic diversity, structure, and search for signs of a sharp decline in the size of bison subpopulations in the past. A total of 11 microsatellite markers were used, recommended by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for cattle research. The analysis of B. bonasus subpopulation from the NP “Pripyatsky” showed signs of passing through the genetic bottleneck. All studied subpopulations are characterized by a similarly low genetic diversity level in all analyzed indicators (mean number of alleles, allelic diversity, observed and expected heterozygosity). The expected heterozygosity (He) for the three subpopulations from the NP “Belovezhskaya Pushcha”, the NP “Pripyatsky” and from the Osipovichi district ranged from 0.37 to 0.39. For the studied subpopulations, the values of the fixation index were negative. The assessment of the presence of genetic structuring between the subpopulations of bison from the NP “Belovezhskaya Pushcha”, the NP “Pripyatsky” and from the Osipovichi district based on the values of such indexes as Fst and DJost which showed no signs of genetic differentiation, which is also confirmed by principal coordinates analysis (PCoA). The European bison conservation in Belarus has required tremendous efforts in the past. So far, even though the impressively large population size reached in Belarus, B. bonasus status still should not be considered as stable, which is closely linked to aspects of its overall low genetic diversity. Our research confirmed the low genetic variability of Belarusian subpopulations. Therefore, the more extensive research concentrated on identifying genetic diversity is necessary to ensure the beneficial control of gene flow and register a potential correlation of unfavorable gene variants with possible inbreeding depression. These attempts are required to lay the groundwork for the management and protection of the European bison in Belarus.
The present study is aimed at evaluating the genetic diversity, genetic status and the extent of hybridization with the domestic horse for the Przhevalski’s horse (Equus ferus przewalskii Poliakov 1881) population free-ranging in the territory of the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone (CEZ) in Belarus and Ukraine. The sample size included 12 individuals (10 sampled in the Belarusian part of the CEZ and 2 from the Ukrainian part of the CEZ). Ten microsatellites recommended by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) for horse genetic status and pedigree determination were used as markers in this study. The fragment analysis data obtained utilising this microsatellite panel determined that two individuals from Belarus possess no allelic variants typical for Przhevalski’s horse. Most of the other individuals presented diagnostically valuable allelic variants. Demographic history analysis for the population did not indicate any drastic population shrinkage events in the population’s recent history. The studied population is characterised by heterogeneous population structure with signs of inbreeding (0.21 %), intermediate level of genetic diversity (He = 0.63) and allelic richness (5.15), possesses 16 unique alleles among 2 microsatellite loci and valuable alleles for loci HMS3 and HMS7 (46.4 and 67.9 % specific alleles for Przhevalski’s horse, respectively). Genetic structure evaluation for the population was performed via Bayesian population structure analysis and factorial correspondence analysis (FCA), which indicated the presence of intrapopulation genetic subdivision. Taking into account the obtained indicators of genetic diversity, we may conclude on the relatively favourable status of Przewalski’s horse in the exclusion zone with good potential for the long-term existence of the species population in the wild. In order to minimise inbreeding effects and the risk of a decline in genetic diversity in the population of Przewalski’s horse of the exclusion zone, as well as to increase the value of this free-living group to preserve the gene pool of the species as a whole, it is necessary to provide detailed genetic monitoring of the livestock’s state, as well as develop a regional population management plan, including measures aimed to minimise the possibility of further hybridisation of wild horses with domestic ones.
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