Non-Invasive Genetic Identification of the Red FoxVulpes vulpesin the Shiretoko National Park, Eastern Hokkaido, Japan

Abstract

Abstract. In order to assess the genetic usefulness of feces that were obtained from field, we conducted genetic identification by microsatellite analysis on fecal samples of the red fox (Vulpes vulpes) collected in the Shiretoko National Park, Hokkaido. Consequently, 59 fecal samples resulted in 22 as the minimum number of individuals. The cumulative P(ID)sibs in the 22 samples was less than 0.01. Two pairs of fecal samples having the identical genotypes (P(ID)sibs < 0.01) were considered to be dropped by the same foxes, and the distribution of these feces was almost overlapped with the home range of one fox, revealed by a previous study. Although few reports had revealed the absolute number of red foxes in field, the present study showed that the genetic analysis of their feces is useful for estimating a presumable number of individuals in the area. However, the lower genotyping success rates (23.3-69.8%) and genotyping reproducibility (53.5-88.4%) indicate the difficulty of genetic analysis by using these fecal samples. In order to improve the efficiency of the analysis, it may be effective to select and use a marker set which has smaller allele sizes, because the genotyping success rates and reproducibility increased when the average allele size decreased.

Low genetic diversity in an isolated red fox (Vulpes vulpes) population on Mt. Hakodate, Japan, revealed by microsatellite analyses of fecal samples

“…The genetic diversity of the Mt. Hakodate population appears to be lower than that of the restricted population in the Shiretoko National Park, eastern Hokkaido, because the cumulative P ID-sib in a study there by Oishi et al (2010) was less than 0.01 at the seventh locus in only 22 samples, whereas in our study P ID-sib was greater than 0.01 at the ninth locus in 36 samples, even though we used nearly the same microsatellite makers.…”

“…However, our success rates (70.6-84.0%; average, 78.4%) for genotyping microsatellite loci were high. Oishi et al (2010) determined genotypes with success rates of 23.3-69.8% per locus in individual identification of red foxes in the Shiretoko National Park, Hokkaido. Nagai et al (2014) genotyped sables in eastern Hokkaido with success rates of 47.8-76.1% per locus (average, 63.6%).…”

“…Kurose et al (2005) analyzed the DNA from fecal samples to identify species and sex for four carnivore species, including the endangered Tsushima leopard cat (Prionailurus bengalensis), on Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Shimatani et al (2008Shimatani et al ( , 2010 likewise genetically identified five carnivore species from fecal samples collected in the Kushiro wetland, Hokkaido, and successfully identified individuals of the American mink (Neovison vison) there. Oishi et al (2010) analyzed 59 fecal samples from red foxes in the Shiretoko National Park, Hokkaido, and ascertained that they derived from 22 individuals. This analysis can also provide much information important to conservation, such as population size, population structure, gene flow, and sex (Frankham 2010).…”