Missing history of a modern domesticate: Historical demographics and genetic diversity in farm-bred red fox populations.

ABSTRACT: The first record of captive-bred red foxes (Vulpes vulpes) dates to 1896 when a breeding enterprise emerged in the provinces of Atlantic Canada. Because its domestication happened during recent history, the red fox offers a unique opportunity to examine the genetic diversity of an emerging domesticated species in the context of documented historical and economic influences. In particular, the historical record suggests that North American and Eurasian farm-bred populations likely experienced different demographic trajectories. Here, we focus on the likely impacts of founder effects and genetic drift given historical trends in fox farming on North American and Eurasian farms. A total of 15 mitochondrial haplotypes were identified in 369 foxes from 10 farm populations that we genotyped (n = 

SUBMITTER: Rando HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11235124 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature