Molecular genetic polymorphism of American mink populations (Neovison vison) in model fur farms and on the adjacent territories in Belarus

A. A. Valnisty,E. E. Kheidorova,M. E. Nikiforov,A. V. Shpak,K. V. Homel

doi:10.29235/1561-8323-2020-64-6-685-693

A. A. Valnisty, E. E. Kheidorova + Show 3 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.29235/1561-8323-2020-64-6-685-693

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Abstract

American mink (Neovison vison) is both a problematic invader and an economically valuable fur breed species in Belarus. The increasing scale of mink breeding for fur and the growing impact of this invasive species on the local ecosystems requires sound, novel strategies for managing both farm and wild populations. Containment of wild American mink populations under the effects of possible migration from the fur farms could be especially problematic. With that issue in mind, we have used microsatellite analysis todetermine the genetic polymorphism in two color breeds of farm-bred American mink in the populations of several Belorussian model fur farms, as well as the same characteristics for the feral populations on the territories adjacent to said fur farms. We confirm the presence of effective influx of mink into the wild from fur farms, determined through the means of analyzing microsatellite genotype data of feral and farm populations.

Highlights

The American mink (Neovison vison, Schreber, 1777) is currently considered as both an economically-valuable and an invasive species in Belarus
During the sampling we have ensured that all samples were individual, that the used wild specimen samples were gathered from individuals that conformed to the wild-type coloration characteristic of N. vison to prevent mistake introduced by possible rare original escapees that did not verifiably mix with the local wild population
The «Strievka Pearl» population unit was rejected from consideration due to severely lacking sample size, leading to unreliable results regarding this group in most analyses

Summary

Introduction

The American mink (Neovison vison, Schreber, 1777) is currently considered as both an economically-valuable and an invasive species in Belarus. The most damning example being the role played by N. vison in the near extinction of the European mink Mustela lutreola (Linnaeus, 1761), the latter process being directly tied to uncontrolled spreading of N. vison [3,4,5,6,7]. It acts as a carrier and natural reservoir for a number of diseases dangerous to the endemic wildlife. At the same time N. vison is an economically significant in Belarus, currently bred on multiple farms across the country for its valuable fur – a trade that shows no signs of declining locally in the foreseeable future

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