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Evidence of admixture between differentiated genetic pools at a regional scale in an invasive carnivore

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Abstract

Invasive species represent a major threat to biodiversity, and the understanding of their population genetics is one of the most important goals in conservation biology. Recently, it has been proposed that methods using molecular tools could help define efficient eradication strategies and should be a preliminary step in the management process. The American mink was introduced in Europe for fur farming purposes in the 1920s, and, due to escapees, several feral populations have been mentioned in the last decades. In France, feral mink have been observed since the 1970s, and the largest population, located in Brittany, is considered to be still expanding. We investigated the genetic variability and population structure of 149 feral mink and 21 farmed mink from this area using six microsatellite loci. Our results showed three genetically distinct population units at the regional scale. A pattern of isolation by distance was observed for the whole sample. In our case we explain this pattern by recent admixture of the three genetic units. Our findings suggest that populations have recently met and started to homogenise.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank every one who help gathered mink samples: Fédérations départementales des chasseurs 56, 29, 22, 35, et 44; Associations départementales des piégeurs agréés 56, 29, 22 et 35, FEMODEC (P. Emeraud), ONCFS, Bretagne Vivante (Y. Jacob, E. Drunat), Groupe Mammalogique Breton (X. Grémillet, F. Simonnet), and especially T. Delhorme, J. C. Zuliani, C. Hartman-Gauthier, M. Armengaud, and D. Montfort. We are grateful to J. Secondi and T. Lodé for helpful suggestions. We also thank the Plateforme Génotypage Ouest-Génopole (S. Coedel and I. Le Goff) and S. Caillaut for his help with maps. Eric Petit, Didier Peltier, M. K. Schwartz, and four anonymous referees provided helpful comments on previous versions of the manuscript. The Région Bretagne and the Conseil Général du Morbihan funded this study.

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  1. PPF DS 10 Paysages et Biodiversité, Faculté des Sciences, Université d’Angers, 2 bd Lavoisier, 49045, Angers, France

    A. Bifolchi, D. Picard, C. Lemaire, J. P. Cormier & A. Pagano

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  1. A. Bifolchi
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Correspondence to A. Bifolchi.

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Bifolchi, A., Picard, D., Lemaire, C. et al. Evidence of admixture between differentiated genetic pools at a regional scale in an invasive carnivore. Conserv Genet 11, 1–9 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-008-9780-1

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