Genetic Analyses Through DNA Fingerprinting of Captive Populations of Hawaiian Geese |
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Authors: | Elizabeth H Rave Robert C Fleischer Fern Duvall Jeffrey M Black |
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Institution: | Department of Biology University of North Dakota Grand Forks, ND 58202, U.S.A.Molecular Genetics Lab National Zoological Park Smithsonian Institution Washington, DC 20008, U.S.A.Olinda Endangered Species Captive Propagation Facility 535 Olinda Road Makawao, Maui, HI 96768, U.S.A.The Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust Slimbridge, Gloucester GL2 7BT England |
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Abstract: | DNA fingerprinting was used to assess levels of genetic variation in 106 Hawaiian Geese, or Nene ( Branta sandvicensis ), from two captive colonies in Hawaii and Slimbridge, England. Mantel tests were used to determine differences in mean similarity coefficients obtained from DNA fingerprints between unrelated and related Nene within and between captive colonies and to determine whether pedigree-based estimates of relatedness correlated with DNA fingerprint-based estimates. Between colonies, mean similarity coefficients for unrelated and related Slimbridge Nene were higher than those for Hawaiian Nene. Within each colony, related Nene bad higher mean similarity coefficients than did unrelated Nene. A positive relationship was found between coancestry coefficients and similarity coefficients. A greater number of founders for the Hawaiian colony contributed to the lower mean similarity coefficients. As genetic variation decreases, difficulty in distinguishing relatedness among individuals using DNA fingerprinting may increase. Lower genetic variation also may increase tine error in estimating the relationship between coancestry and similarity coefficients. DNA fingerprinting of Nene identified unique alleles and can determine optimal pairings between individuals. The calibrated similarity coefficient distributions can help determine the relatedness of individuals in wild populations of Nene. |
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