Abstract
Rates of hybridization between wild and domesticated animals appear to be increasing worldwide. Recent results suggest that genetic introgression from domestic swine into European wild boar is much more common in local populations than expected, based on pan-European studies. Thus, we screened the genetic purity of 265 free-living wild boars from two hunting areas in Poland by genotyping the melanocortin receptor 1 gene (MC1R) for polymorphism. Unexpectedly, high numbers of individuals with domestic genes (24%) were identified. This suggests that mixed ancestry may be common in Polish wild boar. Among admixed individuals, backcrosses with domestic pig and/or introgressed wild boars were detected (2%). Multiple commercial domestic pig breeds are possibly involved in the introgression observed in the study populations. In addition, the absence of significant differences in the frequency of wild-type allele among two hunting areas suggests high dispersal of individuals and gene flow among populations. We conclude that further study is needed to better understand the mechanisms and sources of introgression in wild boars in Poland.
Highlights
Hybridization is the phenomenon of gene pool mixing between different taxa
We used MC1R polymorphism to show that Wild boar (WB) from two hunting areas are not genetically purebred
We showed that the Duroc domestic swine (DS) breed had genotype e/e, while all Polish native DS breeds and two commercial breeds (Pietrain and Hampshire) carried the common genotype (EPD2/EPD2)
Summary
Hybridization is the phenomenon of gene pool mixing between different taxa. If hybrid offspring survive, are fertile, and contribute their alleles to future generations by backcrossing, the process is called introgressive hybridization (introgression). Evidence is accumulating that rates of hybridization between wild species and their domestic relatives are increasing (Randi 2008; Canu et al 2014). This hybridization may occur intentionally or accidentally (Fulgione et al 2016). Domestic genes may provide a fitness advantage for individuals of some species (Anderson et al 2009; Goedbloed et al 2013a; Fulgione et al 2016). The resulting loss of genetic diversity may correspond to a reduction in fitness and adaptive potential, as well as favor disease transmission (Allendorf et al 2001; Todesco et al 2016)
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