Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Using historical captive stocks in conservation. The case of␣the␣lesser white-fronted goose

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

Abstract

Many captive stocks of economically or otherwise valuable species were established before the decline of the wild population. These stocks are potentially valuable sources of genetic variability, but their taxonomic identity and actual value is often uncertain. We studied the genetics of captive stocks of the threatened lesser white-fronted goose Anser erythropus maintained in Sweden and elsewhere in Europe. Analyses of mtDNA and nuclear microsatellite markers revealed that 36% of the individuals had a hybrid ancestry. Because the parental species are closely related it is unlikely that our analyses detected all hybrid individuals in the material. Because no ancestral polymorphism or introgression was observed in samples of wild populations, it is likely that the observed hybridisation has occurred in captivity. As a consequence of founder effect, drift and hybridisation, captive stocks were genetically differentiated from the wild populations of the lesser white-fronted goose. The high level of genetic diversity in the captive stocks is explained at least partially by hybridisation. The present captive stocks of the lesser white-fronted goose are considered unsuitable for further reintroduction, or supplementation: hybridisation has involved three species, the number of hybrids is high, and all the investigated captive stocks are similarly affected. The results highlight the potential shortcomings of using captive-bred individuals in supplementation and reintroduction projects, when the captive stocks have not been pedigreed and bred according to conservation principles.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Allendorf FW, Leary RF, Sruell P, Wenburg JK (2001) The problems with hybrids: setting conservation guidelines. TREE 16:613–622

    Google Scholar 

  • Andersson A (2004) The reintroduction of the lesser white-fronted goose in Swedish Lapland—a summary for 2000–2003. In: Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose conservation project. Annual Report 2003 (eds. Aarvak T, Timonen S), pp 51–52. WWF Finland Report 20 & NOF Rapportserie Report no. 1-2004

  • Ballinger SW, Blankenship LH, Bickham JW, Carr SM (1992) Allozyme and mitochondrial DNA analysis of a hybrid zone between white-tailed deer and mule deer (Odocoileus) in West Texas. Biochem Genet 30:1–11

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Bassam BJ, Caetano-Anolles G, Gresshoff PM (1991) Fast and sensitive silver staining of DNA in polyacrylamide gels. Anal Biochem 196:80

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Brightsmith D, Hilburn J, del Campo A, Boyd J, Frisius M, Frisius R, Janik D, Guillen F (2005) The use of hand-raised psittacines for reintroduction: a case study of scarlet macaws (Ara macao) in Peru and Costa Rica. Biol Conserv 121:465–472

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Buchholz WG, Pearce JM, Pierson BJ, Scribner KT (1998) Dinucleotide repeat polymorphisms in waterfowl (family Anatidae): characterization of a sex-linked (Z-specific) and 14 autosomal loci. Anim Genet 29:323–325

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cathey JC, DeWoody JA, Smith LM (1998) Microsatellite markers in Canada geese (Branta canadensis). J Hered 89:173–175

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cornuet JM, Piry S, Luikart G, Estoup A, Solignac M (1999) New methods employing multilocus genotypes to select or exclude populations as origins of individuals. Genetics 153:1989–2000

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cramp S, Simmons KEL (1977) Handbook of the birds of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. The birds of the Western Palaearctic, vol 1. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Crandall KA, Bininda-Emonds ORP, Mace GM, Wayne RK (2000) Considering evolutionary processes in conservation biology. TREE 15:290–295

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Delacour J (1954) The waterfowl of the world. Country Life Ltd, London

    Google Scholar 

  • Fields RL, Scribner KT (1997) Isolation and characterization of novel waterfowl microsatellite loci: cross species comparisons and research applications. Mol Ecol 6:199–202

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • FitzSimmons NN, Buchan JC, Lam PV, Polet G, Hung TT, Thang NQ, Gratten J (2002) Identification of purebred Crocodylus siamensis for reintroduction in Vietnam. J Exp Zool 294:373–381

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frankham R, Ballou JD, Briscoe DA (2002) Introduction to conservation genetics. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Google Scholar 

  • Fuerst PA, Maruyama T (1986) Considerations on the conservation of alleles and of genic heterozygosity in small managed populations. Zoo Biol 5:171–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

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

    Google Scholar 

  • Gray AP (1958) Bird hybrids. A checklist with bibliography. Commonwealth Agricultural Bureaux, Bucks

    Google Scholar 

  • Hasegawa M, Kishino K, Yano T (1985) Dating the human-ape splitting by a molecular clock of mitochondrial DNA. J Mol Evol 22:160–174

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Holm S (1979) A simple sequentially rejective multiple test procedure. Scand J Stat 6:56–70

    Google Scholar 

  • Huelsenbeck JB, Ronquist F (2001) MrBayes: Bayesian inference of phylogenetic trees. Bioinformatics 17:754–755

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • IUCN (1995) IUCN/SSC guidelines for re-introductions. IUCN Council, Gland, Switzerland. http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/pubs/policy/reinte.htm

  • Kleiman DG, Stanley Price MR, Beck BB (1994) Criteria for reintroductions. In: Olney PJS, Mace GM, Feistner ATC (eds) Creative conservation: interactive management of wild and captive animals. Chapman & Hall, London, pp 287–303

    Google Scholar 

  • Lorentsen S-H, Øien IJ, Aarvak T, Markkola J, von Essen L, Farago S, Morozov V, Syroechkovsky E Jr, Tolvanen P (1999) Lesser white-fronted goose Anser erythropus. In: Goose populations of the Western Palearctic. A review of status and distribution (eds. Madsen J, Cracknell G, Fox AD), pp 144–161. Wetlands International Publ. No. 48, Wetlands International, Wageningen, The Netherlands. National Environmental Research Institute, RØnde, Denmark

  • Maak S, Neumann K, Von Lengerken G, Gatterman R (2000) First seven microsatellites developed for the Peking duck (Anas platyrhynchos). Anim Genet 31:233

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Madsen J (1996) Lesser white-fronted goose. In: Heredia B, Rose L, Painter R (eds) Globally threatened birds in Europe Action Plans. Council of Europe Publishing, Strasbourg, pp 67–78

    Google Scholar 

  • Markkola J, Timonen S, Nieminen P (1999) The Finnish breeding and restocking programme of the lesser white-fronted goose: results and current situation in 1998. In: Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose onservation project. Annual Report 1999 (eds. Tolvanen P, Øien IJ, Ruokolainen K), pp 47–50. WWF Finland Report 12 & NOF Rapportserie Report no. 1-2000

  • McKay JK and Latta RG (2002) Adaptive population divergence: markers, QTL and traits. TREE 17:285–291

    Google Scholar 

  • Merilä J, Crnokrak P (2001) Comparison of genetic differentiation at marker loci and quantitative traits. J Evol Genet 14:892–903

    Google Scholar 

  • Miller SA, Dykes DD, Polesky HF (1988) A simple salting procedure for extracting DNA from human nucleated cells. Nucl Acids Res 16:215

    Google Scholar 

  • Negro JJ, Torres MJ, Godoy JA (2001) RAPD analysis for detection and eradication of hybrid partridges (Alectoris rufa × A. graeca) in Spain. Biol Conserv 98:19–24

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • O’Brien SJ, Roslin P, Smith GL III, Wolfe R, Schaffer N, Heath E, Ott-Joslin J, Rawal PP, Bhattacharjee KK, Martenson JS (1987) Evidence for African Origins of founders of the Asiatic lion species survival plan. Zoo Biol 6:99–116

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Olech W, Perzanowski K (2002) A genetic background for reintroduction program of the European bison (Bison bonasus) in the Carpathians. Biol Conserv 108:221–228

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Panov EN (1989) Hybridisation and ethological isolation in birds. Nauka, Moscow (In Russian)

    Google Scholar 

  • Posada D, Crandall KA (1998) Modeltest: testing the model of DNA substitution. Bioinformatics 14:817–818

    Article  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 

  • Raymond M, Rousset F (1995) GENEPOP (version 1.2): population genetics software for exact tests and ecumenicism. J␣Hered 86:248–249

    Google Scholar 

  • Roca AL, Georgiadis N, O’Brien SJ (2005) Cytonuclear genomic disassociation in African elephant species. Nature Genet 37:96–100

    PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruokonen M, Kvist L, Aarvak T, Markkola J, Morozov VV, Øien IJ, Syroechkovsky EE Jr, Tolvanen P, Lumme J (2004) Population genetic structure and conservation of the lesser white-fronted goose Anser erythropus. Conserv Genet 5:501–512

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruokonen M, Kvist L, Lumme J (2000a) Close relatedness between mitochondrial DNA from seven Anser goose species. J Evol Biol 13:532–540

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Ruokonen M, Kvist L, Tegelström H, Lumme J (2000b) Hybrids, captive breeding and restocking of the Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose (Anser erythropus). Conserv Genet 1:277–283

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Sambrook J, Russell DW (2001) Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual, 3rd edn. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Swofford DL (2003) PAUP*. Phylogenetic Analysis Using Parsimony (*and Other Methods). Version 4.b10. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, Mqassachusetts

  • Tegelström H, Ruokonen M, Löfgren S (2001) The genetic status of the captive lesser white-fronted geese used for breeding and reintroduction in Sweden and Finland. In: Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose conservation project. Annual Report 2000 (eds. Tolvanen P, Øien IJ, Ruokolainen K), pp 37–39. WWF Finland Report 13 & NOF Rapportserie Report no. 1-2001. http://www.wwf.fi/wwf/www/uploads/pdf/ar%2000%20genetic.pdf

  • Thevenon S, Bonnet A, Claro F, Maillard JC (2003) Genetic diversity of captive populations: the Vietnamese sika deer (Cervus nippon pseudaxis) in zoological parks. Zoo Biol 22:465–475

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Tolvanen P, Aarvak T, Øien IJ, Timonen S (2004) Introduction. In: Fennoscandian Lesser White-fronted Goose conservation project. Annual Report 2001–2003 (eds. Aarvak T, Timonen S), pp 5–8. WWF Finland Report 20 & NOF Rapportserie Report no. 1-2004. http://www.wwf.fi/wwf/www/uploads/pdf/lesser_white_fronted_goose_report01-03_part1.pdf

  • Ward TJ, Bielawski JP, Davis SK, Templeton JW, Derr JN (1999) Identification of domestic cattle hybrids in wild cattle and bison species: a general approach using mtDNA markers and the parametric bootstrap. Anim Conserv 2:51–57

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

We thank Tomas Aarvak, Åke Andersson, Bart Ebbinge, Toni Eskelin, Jens Kristiansen, Kimmo Lahti, Gerard Müskens, P.-A. Ohlsson, Ingar J. Øien, Jari Peltomäki, Sami Timonen & Petteri Tolvanen for assistance with sampling, and Hannele Parkkinen & Kerstin Santesson for assistance in the lab. Honor C. Prentice is gratefully acknowledged for many discussions and support. We thank Tomas Aarvak, Åke Andersson, Juha Merilä and Honor C. Prentice for critical reading of the manuscript. This work was supported by grants from WWF Sweden, Swedish Environmental Protection Agency and Swedish Association for Hunting and Wildlife Management (HT, MR), Maj & Tor Nessling Foundation and Academy of Finland (MR), and the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning (HT, A-CA).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 3000, Oulu, FIN-90014, Finland

    Minna Ruokonen

  2. Evolutionary Functional Genomics, Department of Evolution, Genomics and Systematics, EBC, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, SE-752 36, Uppsala, Sweden

    Anna-Carin Andersson

  3. Conservation Biology and Genetics, EBC, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden

    Håkan Tegelström

Authors
  1. Minna Ruokonen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Anna-Carin Andersson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Håkan Tegelström
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Minna Ruokonen.

Additional information

Deceased 20 March 2004.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Ruokonen, M., Andersson, AC. & Tegelström, H. Using historical captive stocks in conservation. The case of␣the␣lesser white-fronted goose. Conserv Genet 8, 197–207 (2007). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-006-9162-5

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-006-9162-5

Keywords

Search

Navigation