Population genetic study of the raccoon dog (<i>Nyctereutes procyonoides</i>) in South Korea using newly developed 12 microsatellite markers

Abstract

The raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides) is distributed from southeastern Siberia to northern Vietnam, including Korea and Japan, as well as Europe. In Korea, most of its predators and competitors are extinct, which has resulted in rapid growth of the raccoon dog population. This population increase has raised concerns about its role in the ecosystem and the zoonotic transfer of various contagious diseases, and thus an effective method of raccoon dog population control in Korea is required. To investigate the genetic diversity and structure of raccoon dog populations, 12 polymorphic microsatellite loci were identified and characterized. These novel microsatellite markers were employed to obtain basic population genetic parameters for 104 N. procyonoides specimens from five locations in South Korea. The mean allele number of 12 loci across samples was 8.7, and the number of alleles per locus ranged 2-13. Mean expected and observed heterozygosities were 0.723 and 0.619, respectively. Genetic differentiation, estimated by pairwise F ST , was significant for all population pairs excepting Seoul/Gyeonggi and Gangwon pair, with a moderate level of genetic differentiation for all the population pairs (mean F ST = 0.054), but little differentiation between Seoul/Gyeonggi and Gangwon (F ST = 0.024). Bayesian-based clustering analysis predicted that Korean raccoon dog population is composed of four distinct genetic subpopulations. These genetic information and structure of raccoon dog will be very useful to prevent spreading infectious diseases.

Density estimation for an island population of raccoon dogs in Japan using fecal DNA

“…The number of alleles per locus ranged from 2–5, and the expected and observed heterozygosity values ranged from 0.19–0.64 and 0.17–0.69, respectively (Table 1). The genetic diversity of raccoon dogs in Izushima was low compared to that reported in previous studies (Matsuki et al 2006, Hong et al 2013). There were differences in genetic diversity among the loci, with particularly low genetic diversity in the Npr06 and NPPM2.…”

“…We used nine microsatellite loci in total: five microsatellite loci developed for Japanese raccoon dogs (Npr06, Npr14, Npr11, Npr04, Npr07; Matsuki et al 2006), three microsatellite loci developed for Chinese raccoon dogs (NPPM 981, NPPM941, NPPM2; Yan et al 2013), and one microsatellite locus for Korean raccoon dogs (Nyct11; Hong et al 2013) (Table 1). We conducted multiplex PCR using all nine microsatellite loci and NED-fluorescently labeled ZFY primers.…”

Genetic characterization of the raccoon dog (Nyctereutes procyonoides),an alien species in the Baltic region

“…The native range covers East Asia, the Amur-Ussuri region in Russia, northern Vietnam, Korea, China, and Japan (Lavrov, 1971;Kauhala and Saeki, 2004). Currently six subspecies of N. procyonoides are recognized: N. p. ussuriensis inhabits Russia, northeastern China, and Eurasia; N. p. procyonoides inhabits Vietnam and southern China; N. p. albus and N. p. viverrinus inhabit Japan; N. p. orestes inhabits China; and N. p. koreensis inhabits the Korean Peninsula (Hong et al, 2013).…”

“…The native range covers East Asia, the Amur-Ussuri region in Russia, northern Vietnam, Korea, China, and Japan (Lavrov, 1971;Kauhala and Saeki, 2004). Currently six subspecies of N. procyonoides are recognized: N. p. ussuriensis inhabits Russia, northeastern China, and Eurasia; N. p. procyonoides inhabits Vietnam and southern China; N. p. albus and N. p. viverrinus inhabit Japan; N. p. orestes inhabits China; and N. p. koreensis inhabits the Korean Peninsula (Hong et al, 2013).The introduction of raccoon dogs as fur-bearing animals into Siberia and the European part of the former Soviet Union started in 1929 and continued until 1955(Kauhala and Saeki, 2004Ansorge et al, 2009). One part of these animals was introduced to Europe from breeding farms and another part from reacclimatized sites after World War II.…”

Using DNA metabarcoding and a novel canid-specific blocking oligonucleotide to investigate the composition of animal diets of raccoon dogs (Nyctereutes procyonoides) inhabiting the waterside area in Korea

“…In Korea, the raccoon dog is among one of extant carnivoran species, including the leopard cat, Eurasian otter, yellow-throated marten, and least weasel [ 3 ]. While many of these carnivorans are endangered in Korea [ 3 ] and classified in a vulnerable category according to the Korean Red List of Threatened Species [ 4 ], the raccoon dog maintains a decent population [ 5 ] due to its high genetic diversity, adaptability, versatility in feeding habits, and reduction in the population of its predators and competitors [ 6 – 9 ]. Its high adaptability has also been reported in other countries.…”