Genetic analysis of hog deer (Axis porcinus) in Victoria, Australia, and its applications to invasive species and game management

Hill, Erin; Murphy, Nicholas P.; Toop, Simon D.; Linacre, Adrian; Strugnell, Jan M.

doi:10.1007/s10344-022-01592-9

Cited by 5 publications

(14 citation statements)

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“…Given that male hog deer are not territorial and that there is not a well-defined breeding season (Taylor 1971;Mayze and Moore 1990), reproduction may not be an important driver of dispersal in this species, as reported in other deer species (Wahlström 1994;Jarnemo 2011;Debeffe et al 2014). Translocations of hog deer across Gippsland, (both legally in government programs and illegally by hunters seeking to establish new populations to hunt; Mayze and Moore 1990;Scroggie et al 2012;Hill et al 2022), have likely assisted the colonisation of parts of Victoria by this species. However, other biological attributes of hog deer could have contributed to the dispersal of this species and therefore could be important for understanding recolonisation of culled areas.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…Translocations of hog deer across Gippsland, (both legally in government programs and illegally by hunters seeking to establish new populations to hunt; Mayze and Moore 1990; Scroggie et al . 2012; Hill et al . 2022), have likely assisted the colonisation of parts of Victoria by this species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Boole Poole samples were included to confirm the robustness of the SNP data returned for analysis. This site is towards the easternmost area of the hog deer distribution in Victoria and has previously been shown to be genetically distinct from the western sites of interest using short tandem repeat (STR) analysis (Hill et al 2022). Sites with an asterisk represent areas within WPNP.…”

Section: Sampling Dna Extraction and Next Generation Sequencingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Kinship analysis reveals low dispersal in a hog deer (Axis porcinus) population in Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia

et al. 2023

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Context A wild population of non-native hog deer has established in the Gippsland region of Victoria, Australia, and there is particular concern about its impact on native vegetation in Wilsons Promontory National Park (WPNP). Since 2015, there has been annual culling of hog deer at WPNP to reduce deer abundances and impacts.Aim The aims of this study were to use a kinship approach based on genotyping to assess contemporary dispersal of hog deer across WPNP, by identifying close kin, to determine whether dispersal of deer into culled sites from unculled sites may affect the long-term success of management there. Differences in the dispersal of male and female hog deer were also investigated.Methods In total, 91 hog deer tissue samples were collected across WPNP and surrounding sites. Single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were sequenced, and a final dataset comprising 8275 SNPs was used for analysis. First-order, second-order, and intermediate relative pairs were identified, and the geographic distance between these pairs was assessed to determine inter-pair distances to infer dispersal. Spatial autocorrelation between male and female samples was evaluated to measure the effects of sex-biased dispersal.Key results Only seven second-order relative pairs were found across different sites, with a 30 km distance between the furthest pair observed. However, most inter-pair distances across sites were ~5–10 km. Analyses of sex-biased dispersal showed that movement by deer was not strongly influenced by one sex.Conclusions Although hog deer in WPNP are genetically similar, most relatives that were sampled were not widely dispersed. This suggests that there is limited dispersal of hog deer across this park.Implications Recolonisation of hog deer at culled sites via dispersal is likely to be infrequent in WPNP. Kinship analysis provides an effective method of assessing contemporary dispersal and could be applied to other species to assess fine-scale movement across landscapes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Sampling Dna Extraction and Next Generation Sequencingmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Kinship analysis reveals low dispersal in a hog deer (Axis porcinus) population in Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia

et al. 2023

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“…Given the large distance between the sample collected from Willow Tree and the other samples assigned to this cluster in southern NSW/Gippsland, and the high degree of genetic similarity, it is likely that this sample represents a translocated animal or a descendent. Translocated deer and pigs have been detected via genetic methods in Australia previously (Spencer and Hampton 2005; Hill et al . 2022), and elsewhere in the world (Frantz et al .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Hybridisation rates, population structure, and dispersal of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) and rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) in south-eastern Australia

Hill,

Murphy,

Li-Williams

et al. 2023

Wildlife Res.

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Context Introduced populations of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) and rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) are present across south-eastern Australia and are subject to local population control to alleviate their negative impacts. For management to be effective, identification of dispersal capability and management units is necessary. These species also readily hybridise, so additional investigation of hybridisation rates across their distributions is necessary to understand the interactions between the two species.Aim Measure the hybridisation rate of sambar and rusa deer, assess broad-scale population structure present within both species and identify distinct management units for future population control, and measure the likely dispersal capability of both species.Methods In total, 198 sambar deer, 189 rusa deer, and three suspected hybrid samples were collected across Victoria and New South Wales (NSW). After sequencing and filtering, 14 099 polymorphic single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers were retained for analysis. Hybridisation rates were assessed before the data were split by species to identify population structure, diversity indices, and dispersal distances.Key results Across the entire dataset, 17 hybrids were detected. Broad-scale population structure was evident in sambar deer, but not among the sites where rusa deer were sampled. Analysis of dispersal ability showed that a majority of deer movement occurred within 20 km in both species, suggesting limited dispersal.Conclusions Distinct management units of sambar deer can be identified from the dataset, allowing independent population control. Although broad-scale population structure was not evident in the rusa deer populations, dispersal limits identified suggest that rusa deer sites sampled in this study could be managed separately. Sambar × rusa deer hybrids are present in both Victoria and NSW and can be difficult to detect on the basis of morphology alone.Implications Genetic analysis can identify broad-scale management units necessary for population control, and estimates of dispersal capability can assist in delineating management units where broad-scale population structure may not be apparent. The negative impacts associated with hybridisation require further investigation to determine whether removal of hybrids should be considered a priority management aim.

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“…If there is spatial variation in population genetic structure, then there could be barriers to dispersal, knowledge of which could help in the design of control programs. One example of this is provided by analysis of kinship in hog deer ( Axis porcinus ) in eastern Victoria using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) (Hill et al . 2023 a , this issue).…”

Section: Ecology Of Wild Deermentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecology, impacts and management of wild deer in Australia

Forsyth,

Pople,

Nugent

2023

Wildlife Res.

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Genetic analysis of hog deer (Axis porcinus) in Victoria, Australia, and its applications to invasive species and game management

Cited by 5 publications

References 55 publications

Kinship analysis reveals low dispersal in a hog deer (Axis porcinus) population in Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia

Kinship analysis reveals low dispersal in a hog deer (Axis porcinus) population in Wilsons Promontory National Park, Australia

Hybridisation rates, population structure, and dispersal of sambar deer (Cervus unicolor) and rusa deer (Cervus timorensis) in south-eastern Australia

Ecology, impacts and management of wild deer in Australia

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