Ferreiraetal2006

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Wildl. Biol. Pract., June 2006, 2(1): 17-25. DOI: 10.2461/wbp.2006.2.4

ORIGINAL PAPER GENETIC STRUCTURE OF THE WILD BOAR (SUS SCROFA L.) POPULATION IN PORTUGAL E. Ferreira1, L. Souto1, A.M.V.M. Soares1 & C. Fonseca1* Departamento de Biologia, Universidade de Aveiro, Campus Universitรกrio de Santiago, 3810-193, Aveiro, Portugal. * Corresponding author: Prof. Dr. Carlos M.M.S. Fonseca Fax:+351 234 426408; E-mail: cfonseca@bio.ua.pt

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Keywords Allele frequencies; Game species; Multiplex amplification; Portugal.

Abstract The main objective of this study was the assessment of the genetic structure and level of variability in the Portuguese wild boar population. A total of 65 wild boar blood samples were collected all over the continental territory, during 2002/03 and 2003/04 hunting seasons. A set of six microsatellite markers, developed for domestic pig, was used. Loci SW986 and SW828 presented a small number of alleles for the Portuguese population, whereas other loci, like SW1701 and SW1517, presented a high degree of polymorphism. From the six analysed loci, four presented significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium conditions, suggesting the existence of genetic structure in the population. Samples were divided into North, Centre and South groups according to the position of wild boar capture location in relation to rivers Douro and Tejo. All the FST estimates were statistically significant and the highest FST value was 0.08 (P<0.001), referring to the distance between Northern and Central groups. FCA analysis was also performed. The resulting bi-dimensional diagram suggests structuring of the Portuguese wild boar population.

Introduction According to Morais [1], wild boar (Sus scrofa L.) was once very abundant in Portugal, as well as in the rest of Europe. However, in Portugal, at the beginning of the XX century, the species was confined to some mountain areas near the national border with Spain, and to some former royal hunting areas [2]. During the last four decades, Portuguese wild boar population exhibited an outstanding increase in terms of number and distribution area [2]. Considered as a threatened and non-hunting species in the recent past [3], nowadays the wild boar is very common, widespread and the most important large game species in Portugal. The number of animals harvested annually has increased from 423 in 1989/1990 to approximately 8254 individuals in 2000/2001 [4] confirming that the wild boar population is increasing and its distribution range is expanding all over the country [1,5]. However, in Portugal, specific studies addressing the biology and ecology of wild boar populations are lacking. The increasing population size might lead to a conflict between human activities and wild boar populations. Some cultivated plants are presently the main food items in wild boar diet [6,7,8], and the impact of this ungulate on agricultural and forest systems is broadly known [9,10,11]. Presently, the knowledge of species genetic diversity and structure is one of the most important aspects in wildlife population management. Several genetic markers are being used for assessing conservation issues related with several species [12,13,14,15].


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