Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Genetic evidence for past hybridisation between domestic pigs and English wild boars

  • Original Research
  • Published:
Conservation Genetics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

While governments normally take action to eradicate or control feral populations of introduced species, management becomes problematic in the rare event of an inadvertent reintroduction of a locally extinct species to its former range. Free-living wild boars became extinct in Britain around 700 years ago, but animals have recently escaped from farms and recolonised parts of England. There has been much debate about the potential ecological and economic impacts of the presence of feral populations of wild boar in England. Predicted negative impacts include disease transmission to domestic pigs, crop damage and problems caused by the species’ rooting behaviour. Perhaps the strongest argument in favour of the wild boars in England is the restoration of a formerly native species. However, for the re-established populations to have an intrinsic value as an addition to English biodiversity, it would be preferable if the animals were genetically pure wild boars. We used four genetic marker systems to assess the genetic status of a wild boar population in the Forest of Dean, western England. We found high frequencies of alleles of domestic origin at the mitochondrial control region and a nuclear pseudo-gene. Microsatellite-based analyses also suggested that English wild boars had a mixed wild boar/domestic pig ancestry. Therefore, it is debatable whether the wild boar in the Forest of Dean can be regarded as a restored native species.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2
Fig. 3

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alves PC, Pinheiro I, Godinho R, Vicente J, Gortazar C, Scandura M (2010) Genetic diversity of wild boar populations and domestic pig breeds (Sus scrofa) in south-western Europe. Biol J Linn Soc 101:797–822

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Belkhir K (2004) Genetix 4.05.2. University of Montpellier II, Laboratoire Génome et Populations, Montpellier

  • Booth WD (1995) Wild boar farming in the United Kingdom. IBEX J M E 3:245–248

    Google Scholar 

  • Dewas M, Herr J, Schley L, Angst C, Manet B, Landry P, Catusse M (2012) Recovery and status of native and introduced beavers Castor fibris and Castor canadensis in France and neighbouring countries. Mamm Rev 42:144–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Dowling TE, Marsh PC, Kelsen AT, Tibbets CA (2005) Genetic monitoring of wild and repatriated populations of endangered razorback sucker (Xyrauchen texanus, Catostomidae, Teleostei) in Lake Mohave, Arizona-Nevada. Mol Ecol 14:123–135

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fajardo V, Gonzalez I, Martin I, Rojas M, Hernández PE, García T, Martín R (2008) Differentiation of European wild boar (Sus scrofa scrofa) and domestic swine (Sus scrofa domestica) meats by PCR analysis targeting the mitochondrial D-loop and the nuclear melanocortin receptor 1 (MC1R) genes. Meat Sci 78:314–322

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang M, Andersson L (2006) Mitochondrial diversity in European and Chinese pigs is consistent with population expansions that occurred prior to domestication. Proc R Soc B 273:1803–1810

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fang M, Berg F, Ducos A, Andersson L (2006) Mitochondrial haplotypes of European wild boars with 2n = 36 are closely related to those of European domestic pigs with 2n = 38. Anim Genet 37:459–464

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fang MY, Larson G, Ribeiro HS, Li N, Andersson L (2009) Contrasting mode of evolution at a coat color locus in wild and domestic pigs. PLoS Genet 5:e1000341

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ferreira E, Souto L, Soares AMVM, Fonseca C (2006) Genetic structure of the wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) population in Portugal. Wildl Biol Pract 2:17–25

    Google Scholar 

  • Fickel J, Hohmann U (2006) A methodological approach for non-invasive sampling for population size estimates in wild boars (Sus scrofa). Eur J Wildl Res 52:28–33

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Frankham R, Ballou JD, Briscoe DA (2009) Introduction to conservation genetics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Frantz AC, Cellina S, Krier A, Schley L, Burke T (2009) Using spatial Bayesian methods to determine the genetic structure of a continuously distributed population: clusters or isolation by distance? J Appl Ecol 46:493–505

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giuffra E, Kijas JMH, Amarger V, Carlborg O, Jeon JT, Andersson L (2000) The origin of the domestic pig: independent domestication and subsequent introgression. Genetics 154:1785–1791

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gongora J, Peltoniemi OAT, Tammen I, Raadsma H, Moran C (2003) Analyses of possible domestic pig contribution in two populations of Finnish farmed wild boar. Acta Agric Scand Sect A 53:161–165

    Google Scholar 

  • Gortázar C, Ferroglio E, Höfle U, Fröhlich K, Vicente J (2007) Diseases shared between wildlife and livestock: a European perspective. Eur J Wildl Res 53:241–256

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Goudet J (1995) FSTAT (vers 1.2): a computer program to calculate F-statistics. J Hered 86:485–486

    Google Scholar 

  • Hampton JO, Spencer PBS, Alpers DL, Twigg LE, Woolnough AP, Doust J, Higgs T, Pluske J (2004) Molecular techniques, wildlife management and the importance of genetic population structure and dispersal: a case study with feral pigs. J Appl Ecol 41:735–743

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (1998) Guidelines for re-introductions. IUCN/SSC Re-introduction Specialist Group, Gland, Switzerland & Cambridge

  • Koutsogiannouli EA, Moutou KA, Sarafidou T, Stamatis C, Mamuris Z (2010) Detection of hybrids between wild boars (Sus scrofa scrofa) and domestic pigs (Sus scrofa f domestica) in Greece, using the PCR-RFLP method on melanocortin-1 receptor (MC1R) mutations. Mamm Biol 75:69–73

    Google Scholar 

  • Langella O (1999) Populations 1.2.30: Population genetic software (individuals or population distances, phylogenetic trees). CNRS UPR9034, France

  • Larson G, Dobney K, Albarella U, Fang M, Matisoo-Smith E, Robins J, Lowden S, Finlayson H, Brand T, Willerslev E, Rowley-Conwy P, Andersson L, Cooper A (2005) Worldwide phylogeography of wild boar reveals multiple centers of pig domestication. Science 307:1618–1621

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Larson G, Liu R, Zhao X, Yuan J, Fuller D, Barton L, Dobney K, Fan Q, Gu Z, Lui X-H, Luo Y, Lv P, Andersson L, Li N (2010) Patterns of East Asian pig domestication, migration, and turnover revealed by modern and ancient DNA. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 107:7686–7691

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lattuada L, Quaglia F, Iannelli F, Gissi C, Mantecca P, Bacchetta R, Polli M (2009) Mitochondrial DNA sequence variations in some Italian wild boar populations. J Anim Breed Genet 126:154–163

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lindholm AK, Breden F, Alexander HJ, Chan WK, Thakurta SG, Brooks R (2005) Invasion success and genetic diversity of introduced populations of guppies Poecilia reticulata in Australia. Mol Ecol 14:3671–3682

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe S, Browne M, Boudjelas S, De Poorter M (2000) 100 of the World’s worst invasive alien species: a selection from the global invasive species database. Invasive Species Specialist Group, Species Survival Commission, World Conservation Union, Auckland

    Google Scholar 

  • Manchester SJ, Bullock JM (2000) The impacts of non-native species on UK biodiversity and the effectiveness of control. J Appl Ecol 37:845–864

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Massei G, Genov P (2004) The environmental impact of wild boar. Galemys 16:135–145

    Google Scholar 

  • Massei G, Roy S, Bunting R (2011) Too many hogs? A review of methods to mitigate impact by wild boar and feral pigs. Hum Wildl Interact 5:79–99

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller SA, Dykes DD, Polesky HF (1988) A simple salting-out procedure for extracting DNA from human nucleated cells. Nucl Acids Res 16:1215

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Moore NP, Wilson CJ (2005) Feral wild boar in England implications of future management options. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Page RDM (1996) TREEVIEW: an application to display phylogenetic trees on personal computers. Comput Appl Biosci 12:357–358

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Pritchard JK, Stephens M, Donnelly P (2000) Inference of population structure using multilocus genotype data. Genetics 155:945–959

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rackham O (1993) The history of the countryside. Dent, London, pp 36–37

    Google Scholar 

  • Roman J, Darling JA (2007) Paradox lost: genetic diversity and the success of aquatic invasions. Trends Ecol Evol 22:454–464

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg NA (2004) DISTRUCT: a program for the graphical display of population structure. Mol Ecol Notes 4:137–138

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scandura M, Iacolina L, Crestanello B, Pecchioli E, Di Benedetto MF, Russo V, Davoli R, Apollonio M, Bertorelle G (2008) Ancient vs recent processes as factors shaping the genetic variation of the European wild boar: are the effects of the last glaciation still detectable? Mol Ecol 17:1745–1762

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Scandura M, Iacolina L, Apollonio M (2011a) Genetic diversity in the European wild boar Sus scrofa: phylogeography, population structure and wild x domestic hybridization. Mammal Rev 41:125–137

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Scandura M, Iacolina L, Cossu A, Apollonio M (2011b) Effects of human perturbation on the genetic make-up of an island population: the case of the Sardinian wild boar. Heredity 106:1012–1020

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schley L, Dufrêne M, Krier A, Frantz AC (2008) Patterns of crop damage by wild boar (Sus scrofa) over a 10-year period. Eur J Wildl Res 54:589–599

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ursing B, Arnason U (1998) The complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the pig (Sus scrofa). J Mol Evol 47:302–306

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Vergeer P, Ouborg NJ, Hendry AP (2008) Genetic considerations of introduction efforts. In: Carroll SP, Fox CW (eds) Conservation biology—evolution in action. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 116–129

    Google Scholar 

  • Vernesi C, Crestanello B, Pecchioli E, Tartari D, Caramelli D, Hauffe H, Bertorelle G (2003) The genetic impact of demographic decline and reintroduction in the wild boar (Sus scrofa): a microsatellite analysis. Mol Ecol 12:585–595

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilkinson S, Haley C, Alderson L, Wiener P (2011) An empirical assessment of individual-based population genetic statistical techniques: application to British pig breeds. Heredity 106:261–269

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wilson CJ (2005) Feral wild boar in England status, impact and management. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

The laboratory study was performed at the NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, supported by the UK Natural Environment Research Council, and at the University of Greifswald. The authors would like to thank Martin Allmenröder, Sabine Bertouille, Sandra Cellina, Graves Park Animal Farm, Hez Hird, Gwenael Kaminski, Claude Loutsch, Alan Mileham (Pig Improvement Company), Old Glossop Farm, Eric Pesch, Carole Sargent, Nikica Šprem and the local Services of the Nature and Forest Department of the Public Service of Wallonia for their invaluable help in providing us with samples from domestic pigs and wild boars. Julia Coats, Christy Gladney and Gavin Horsburgh helped us with sample collection and Andy Krupa with laboratory work.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. NERC Biomolecular Analysis Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield, S10 2TN, UK

    Alain C. Frantz & Terry Burke

  2. Zoologisches Institut und Museum, Ernst-Moritz-Arndt-Universität Greifswald, J.-S. Bach Straße 11/12, 17489, Greifswald, Germany

    Alain C. Frantz

  3. The Food and Environment Research Agency, Sand Hutton, York, YO41 1LZ, UK

    Giovanna Massei

Authors
  1. Alain C. Frantz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Giovanna Massei
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Terry Burke
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alain C. Frantz.

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

Supplementary material 1 (DOCX 655 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Frantz, A.C., Massei, G. & Burke, T. Genetic evidence for past hybridisation between domestic pigs and English wild boars. Conserv Genet 13, 1355–1364 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-012-0379-1

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-012-0379-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation