Genetic approach reveals a polygynous-polyandrous mating system and no social organization in a small and isolated population of the screaming hairy armadillo, Chaetophractus vellerosus

Nardelli, Maximiliano; Ibañez, Ezequiel A.; Dobler, Dara; Illia, Gimena; Abba, Agustín M.; Túnez, Juan Ignacio

doi:10.1007/s10709-020-00092-5

Cited by 6 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 34 publications

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“…The knowledge of the mating system of a threatened species provides important information for the implementation of conservation measures (Sigg et al 2005;DeMay et al 2016;Nardelli et al 2020;Madsen et al 2023). In the studied garden dormouse population, we identified the genetic mother in 64% of the litters and in 27% of these mother juvenile pairs we were able to assign the potential fathers.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is promiscuity the key? Multiple paternity in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus)

Erhardt,

Förschler,

Fietz

2024

Mamm Biol

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Many mammals have a promiscuous mating system with multiple sired litters. Promiscuity can increase the genetic variability, reduce the risk of inbreeding, and increase the effective population size, and is therefore crucial for preventing genetic loss and maintaining adaptability. This is particularly true for small and threatened populations. The garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus) is a threatened species, which exhibited a drastic decline over the last 20–30 years. The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the mating system of the garden dormouse in mountain forest habitat by parentage analyses using 5 polymorphic microsatellite markers combined with morphometric data and information about the nesting behavior. Genetic parentage analyses revealed that 64% (9 of 14) of the litters were sired by at least two males, suggesting that garden dormice have a promiscuous mating system. The genetic findings were further supported by indirect indicators of promiscuity, such as testes, that were nearly four times larger than predicted for a rodent of its body mass and only slight male biased sexual size dimorphism. The finding of a promiscuous mating system in garden dormice should be taken into account in future conservation efforts. Due to its habitat preferences and limited dispersal potential garden dormice are vulnerable to forest fragmentation. The connection of suitable habitats facilitates dispersal and promotes access to potential mating partners, which could be especially important for populations colonizing new habitats. Access to potential mates may also reduce inbreeding, loss of genetic variability which is crucial for populations viability and survival.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is promiscuity the key? Multiple paternity in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus)

Erhardt,

Förschler,

Fietz

2024

Mamm Biol

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“…In particular, information on the sex of individuals is of great importance in population ecology and conservation [2,3]. For example, it contributes to the understanding of population structure and dynamics in monitoring programs [4] or allows to identify and infer socio-ecological patterns in behavioral studies of living and extinct species [5,6], respectively. Knowledge of the sex ratio of effective individuals is particularly relevant for species or populations of conservation concern, as unbalanced sex ratios may have negative impacts on population growth and resilience [7].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A rapid approach for sex assignment by RAD-seq using a reference genome

Peralta,

Túnez,

Rodríguez Cruz

et al. 2024

PLoS ONE

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Sex identification is a common objective in molecular ecology. While many vertebrates display sexual dimorphism, determining the sex can be challenging in certain situations, such as species lacking clear sex-related phenotypic characteristics or in studies using non-invasive methods. In these cases, DNA analyses serve as valuable tools not only for sex determination but also for validating sex assignment based on phenotypic traits. In this study, we developed a bioinformatic framework for sex assignment using genomic data obtained through GBS, and having an available closely related genome assembled at the chromosome level. Our method consists of two ad hoc indexes that rely on the different properties of the mammalian heteromorphic sex chromosomes. For this purpose, we mapped RAD-seq loci to a reference genome and then obtained missingness and coverage depth values for the autosomes and X and Y chromosomes of each individual. Our methodology successfully determined the sex of 165 fur seals that had been phenotypically sexed in a previous study and 40 sea lions sampled in a non-invasive way. Additionally, we evaluated the accuracy of each index in sequences with varying average coverage depths, with Index Y proving greater reliability and robustness in assigning sex to individuals with low-depth coverage. We believe that the approach presented here can be extended to any animal taxa with known heteromorphic XY/ZW sex chromosome systems and that it can tolerate various qualities of GBS sequencing data.

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“…However, when the subject under study is an elusive or endangered species and using non-invasive methodologies is necessary (Piggott and Taylor 2003), information about sex is not always present. In this regard, identifying the sex of individuals is an important component in population ecology and conservation (Peppin et al 2010), for example, improving the understanding of population structure and dynamics in monitoring programs (Hill 2005) or infering socio-ecological patterns in behavioral studies of living and extinct species (Pečnerová et al 2017;Nardelli et al 2020). Indeed, having knowledge of the sex ratio within a population is significant for species or populations of conservation concern, as sub-optimal sex ratios can have a negative impact on population growth and resilience (Engen et al 2003).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A rapid approach for sex assignment by RAD-seq using a reference genome

Peralta

Túnez

Cruz

et al. 2023

Preprint

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Assigning sex to individuals without previous information is a common objective of molecular ecology. Here, we developed a framework for sexing animals by using two indexes based on the different properties of the mammalian sexual chromosomes. We mapped RAD-seq loci to a reference genome to obtain missingness and coverage depth from chromosomes Y, X and autosomal, which allowed identifying the sex of fur seals from a previous study with previous sex information. Moreover, we sexed 38 sea lions sampled non-invasively, allowing us to discuss our indexes' reliability at different coverage depths. We believe this approach could extrapolate to any mammal species or taxa with known XY sex chromosome systems and different qualities of the GBS sequencing.

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Genetic approach reveals a polygynous-polyandrous mating system and no social organization in a small and isolated population of the screaming hairy armadillo, Chaetophractus vellerosus

Cited by 6 publications

References 34 publications

Is promiscuity the key? Multiple paternity in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus)

Is promiscuity the key? Multiple paternity in the garden dormouse (Eliomys quercinus)

A rapid approach for sex assignment by RAD-seq using a reference genome

A rapid approach for sex assignment by RAD-seq using a reference genome

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