A Molecular Examination of Relatedness, Multiple Paternity, and Cohabitation of the Southern Plains Woodrat (Neotoma Micropus)

Abstract

Two hundred twenty-two individuals of the southern plains woodrat (Neotoma micropus) were captured from 198 excavated middens at 10 discrete collecting sites from a single population in southcentral Texas. Field data, mitochondrial D-loop haplotypes, and polymorphic microsatellite loci (5-7) were used to determine genetic patterns in parentage, relatedness, and mating strategy. Microsatellite loci were highly polymorphic (average observed heterozygosity = 0.859) and were used to construct genotypes that were unique for each individual (probability of identical genotypes: 1 in 2,104,567). Results indicated a high frequency of multiple paternity (6 of 9 litters), evidence of repeat mating between the same 2 individuals, and no indication of male dominance at any collection site. Examination of these data suggested a promiscuous mating system. Within a site, average relatedness between adult females was similar to that between adult males. A higher level of cohabitation from that previously documented was recorded and finer-scale analyses revealed high levels of relatedness between most cohabiting individuals. Taken with results from other studies of mating behaviors of N. micropus, our results suggest that mating and social behavior of this species are likely influenced by population density. Keywords cohabitation; mating system; microsatellites; multiple paternity; relatedness Several factors (e.g., demography, density, resource competition and availability, life-history characteristics, spatial distribution, and dispersal of individuals) influence mating systems of a given species. Consequently, mating strategies may differ across the geographic range of a species (Clutton-Brock 1989;Jones et al. 2001;Nievergelt et al. 2002) NIH-PA Author ManuscriptNIH-PA Author Manuscript NIH-PA Author Manuscript aforementioned factors vary. In recent years, genetic studies have been used to corroborate field data studies of mating systems (Avise 1994;Queller et al. 1993). Examples of the utility of genetic data include examination of relatedness between individuals (Fournier et al. 2002;Onorato et al. 2004;Painter et al. 2000;Taylor et al. 1997;Wilmer et al. 2000;Yu et al. 2001), maternal and paternal lineage assessment (Haynie et al. 2003;Jones and Avise 1997;Kays et al. 2000;Onorato et al. 2004), occurrence of multiple mating events (Baker et al. 1999;Berteaux et al. 1999;Burton 2002;Carling et al. 2003;Valenzuela 2000), and assessment of reproductive success (Blanchfield et al. 2003;Coltman et al. 1999;Fabiani et al. 2004;Matocq 2004;Scribner et al. 1993;Topping and Millar 1998).Although genetic information has been increasingly applied to studies of mating strategies for a variety of mammalian taxa, rodents remain a primary model. (Birney 1973;Conditt and Ribble 1997;Finley 1958;Henke and Smith 2000; Johnson 1952;Merkelz and Kerr 2002;Raun 1966;Suchecki et al. 2004; Caire 1990, 1991 ), as well as studies regarding population genetic data (Mendez-Harclerode et al. 2005 ). These characteristics make the southern pl...

Captivity results in disparate loss of gut microbial diversity in closely related hosts

“…In nature, woodrats live in stick structures called middens that are passed on from generation to generation ( Betancourt et al , 1990 ). While we did not inventory the microbial environment of middens, they are likely to be a rich source of microbes, given that unrelated individuals of woodrats and other species, such as mice, snakes and ground squirrels, may inhabit middens ( Betancourt et al , 1990 ; Baxter et al , 2009 ). Additionally, woodrats frequently collect and store scat from jackrabbits, coyotes and cows in or on their middens ( Betancourt et al , 1990 ).…”

The genetic crisis of the Mexican Bolson Tortoise (Gopherus flavomarginatus: Testudinidae)

“…Because of that characteristic, the D-Loop is considered a good molecular marker for popula-tion studies focused on genetic diversity, migration, and phylogeography (Bowen et al, 1995;Roman et al, 1999;Sites et al, 2001;Bourjea et al, 2007;Zhong, Liu and Wang, 2008;Baxter et al, 2009;Reis et al, 2009). We use D-loop sequences, from one of the more variable portions of the control region, to investigate the genetic diversity of the wild populations of the Mexican Bolson Tortoise.…”

Using Museum Collections to Detect Pathogens

“…Tissue samples from N. micropus woodrats archived in the Natural Science Research Laboratory at the Museum of Texas Tech University were evaluated for T. cruzi DNA by PCR methods. All samples were originally collected during March 2001–June 2003 from the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area in southern Texas (28º18′N, 99º24′W), 86 km west of the Mexico–US border; some samples had been used previously in other research projects ( 3 ). Individual rodents were captured with live traps (n = 13) or by excavating middens in which all the nest occupants were collected by hand (n = 146).…”