Multiple Paternity in the Norway Rat, Rattus norvegicus, from Urban Slums in Salvador, Brazil
| Autor: | Jonathan L. Richardson, Adalgisa Caccone, Kirstin Dion, James E. Childs, Federico Costa, Carol Mariani, Albert I. Ko, Arsinoê C. Pertile, Mary K. Burak |
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| Jazyk: | angličtina |
| Rok vydání: | 2016 |
| Předmět: |
0106 biological sciences
0301 basic medicine Litter (animal) Male Brown rat Rodent Genotype Offspring Biology 010603 evolutionary biology 01 natural sciences 03 medical and health sciences Sexual Behavior Animal Pregnancy biology.animal Poverty Areas Genetics medicine Animals Inbreeding Cities Molecular Biology Genetics (clinical) reproductive and urinary physiology Likelihood Functions Ecology Sequence Analysis DNA biology.organism_classification medicine.disease Leptospirosis Rats 030104 developmental biology Genetics Population Habitat Female PEST analysis Brief Communications Brazil Biotechnology Demography Microsatellite Repeats |
| Popis: | The Norway rat, Rattus norvegicus, is one of the most important pest species globally and the main reservoir of leptospires causing human leptospirosis in the urban slums of tropical regions. Rodent control is a frequent strategy in those settings to prevent the disease but rapid growth from residual populations and immigration limit the long-term effectiveness of interventions. To characterize the breeding ecology of R. norvegicus and provide needed information for the level of genetic mixing, which can help identify inter-connected eradication units, we estimated the occurrence of multiple paternity, distances between mothers and sires, and inbreeding in rats from urban slum habitat in Salvador, Brazil. We genotyped 9 pregnant females, their 66 offspring, and 371 males at 16 microsatellite loci. Multiple paternity was observed in 22% (2/9) of the study litters. Of the 12 sires that contributed to the 9 litters, we identified 5 (42%) of those sires among our genotyped males. Related males were captured in close proximity to pregnant females (the mean inter-parent trapping distance per litter was 70 m, ±58 m SD). Levels of relatedness between mother-sire pairs were higher than expected and significantly higher than relatedness between all females and non-sire males. Our findings indicate multiple paternity is common, inbreeding is apparent, and that mother-sire dyads occur in close proximity within the study area. This information is relevant to improve the spatial definition of the eradication units that may enhance the effectiveness of rodent management programs aimed at preventing human leptospirosis. High levels of inbreeding may also be a sign that eradication efforts are successful. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
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