Population genetic variability and origin of Auckland Island feral pigs

Abstract

Genetic variability of pigs isolated on the remote Auckland Islands of New Zealand was examined using 26 microsatellites recommended by the International Society for Animal Genetics (ISAG) and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) for porcine biodiversity analysis. The diversity indices, including observed and effective numbers of alleles, and observed and expected heterozygosity, revealed that Auckland Island pigs have a low level of genetic variability compared with European, Asian, Middle American indigenous and commercial pigs, as would be expected for a small population isolated for up to 200 years. Phylogenetic analyses of microsatellite data suggest that Auckland Island feral pigs are more related to European pigs than Chinese pigs, consistent with mitochondrial control region sequence analyses. In addition, the UPGMA topology based on microsatellite allele sharing measures showed that genotypes alone could accurately assign all Auckland Island pigs to their correct population, and also that two distinct Auckland Island subpopulations could be recognised. © 2005 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.