Founder events, isolation, and inbreeding: Intercontinental genetic structure of the domestic ferret.

ABSTRACT: Domestication and breeding for human-desired morphological traits can reduce population genetic diversity via founder events and artificial selection, resulting in inbreeding depression and genetic disorders. The ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was domesticated from European polecats (M. putorius), transported to multiple continents, and has been artificially selected for several traits. The ferret is now a common pet, a laboratory model organism, and feral ferrets can impact native biodiversity. We hypothesized global ferret trade resulted in distinct international genetic clusters and that ferrets transported to other continents would have lower genetic diversity than ferrets from Europe because of extreme founder events and no hybridization with wild polecats or genetically

SUBMITTER: Gustafson KD 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5979634 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature