The individual courtship behaviour of male European mink (Mustela lutreola) is a good indicator for their breeding success

Kneidinger, Nadja; Nagl, Astrid; Kiik, Kairi; Schwarzenberger, Franz; Maran, Tiit

doi:10.1016/j.applanim.2018.05.007

Cited by 7 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…The absence of species-specific courtship and mating behaviour in "non-breeding European mink (Mustela lutreola) males" threatens the conservation goal to maintain the genetic heterozygosity of the ex situ population; from a practical point of view, behavioural indicators could be used as a potential screening method for identifying successful future breeders. Recently, Kneidinger et al (2018) found that one of the key elements of male courtship behaviour was the vocalization "clucking", essential for a breeding attempt to end with copulation.…”

Section: Ex-situ Breeding Of Critically Endangered Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation, animal behaviour, and human-animal relationship in zoos. Why is animal welfare so important?

Mota-Rojas

Gual-Sill

et al. 2021

JABB

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Section: Ex-situ Breeding Of Critically Endangered Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation, animal behaviour, and human-animal relationship in zoos. Why is animal welfare so important?

Mota-Rojas

Gual-Sill

et al. 2021

JABB

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“…For our study, we combined the times that a ferret spent inside each novel nest box, and used this as our measure of exploration. We then used an ethogram to partition exploration into specific behaviors (Table 1) drawn from other mustelid work (Biggins et al, 2012; Kneidinger et al, 2018; Miller et al, 1996; Noer et al, 2017; Pedersen et al, 2004; Vargas & Anderson, 1998). We categorized behaviors into different ferret states, including “Investigative,” “Reproductive,” “Vigilance,” and “Comfort” (Breck et al, 2019).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Designing an assay to evaluate behavioral responses to opposite‐sex conspecifics in the endangered black‐footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)

et al. 2022

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The endangered black‐footed ferret (ferret; Mustela nigripes) is a North American carnivore that is actively managed to reestablish self‐sustaining wild populations. Behavioral abnormalities have been reported in the breeding program and may be a limiting factor for the species' success. Our goal was to design and test an assay that examines the ferret's exploratory response to odor cues in the form of soiled bedding from opposite‐sex conspecifics. Across two breeding seasons, males and females were tested using a T‐maze that connected their home nest box to two novel nest boxes containing two different conspecific's soiled bedding. For a control, we provided two clean bedding samples. We ran linear mixed models to determine the effect of sex, type of odor cue (soiled, clean), and order of trial (first, second) on time exploring and proportion of that time spent in each behavior. Ferrets spent the majority of time in the novel nest boxes sniffing (44%), standing alert (27%) and scratching (14%). Males explored for longer than females; however, both displayed similar behaviors. Type of cue influenced behavior, with ferrets sniffing more among soiled cues than clean cues. Habituation to the assay was also observed, with less exploration and more standing alert during the second trial of the day. This study is the first step in characterizing the ferret's exploratory response and provides information regarding vital investigatory and vigilance behaviors. The continual development of this assay to further evaluate reproductive and mate choice behaviors will facilitate more successful breeding of the species.

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“…Conservation breeding programs are characterized by the selection of the genetically most suitable pairs for reproduction, identified according to their genetic representation among the population to avoid inbreeding [ 136 ]. A common problem is that the specifically selected partners for breeding do not mate during the breeding attempts [ 136 ]. Kneidinger et al [ 136 ] reported that, on average, just over 30% of the planned litters were sired by the genetically prioritized males.…”

Section: Conservation Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A common problem is that the specifically selected partners for breeding do not mate during the breeding attempts [ 136 ]. Kneidinger et al [ 136 ] reported that, on average, just over 30% of the planned litters were sired by the genetically prioritized males. The influence of selection on the behavioral traits of breeding males on shaping the gene pool in captivity is not yet recognized.…”

Section: Conservation Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The influence of selection on the behavioral traits of breeding males on shaping the gene pool in captivity is not yet recognized. Aggressive behavior by the male toward the female excludes the former from mating, but without knowledge of the possible heritability of personality traits, it is not possible to assess the risk of decreasing genetic variation in the reintroduced populations posed by selection for release of individuals with specific personality types [ 136 , 137 , 138 ]. Conservation genetics can help to gain further insight into the impact of genetic factors, which, in addition to environmental conditions, cause the low breeding success of M. lutreola individuals in captivity [ 133 ].…”

Section: Conservation Geneticsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Fifty Years of Research on European Mink Mustela lutreola L., 1761 Genetics: Where Are We Now in Studies on One of the Most Endangered Mammals?

Skorupski

2020

Genes

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The purpose of this review is to present the current state of knowledge about the genetics of European mink Mustela lutreola L., 1761, which is one of the most endangered mammalian species in the world. This article provides a comprehensive description of the studies undertaken over the last 50 years in terms of cytogenetics, molecular genetics, genomics (including mitogenomics), population genetics of wild populations and captive stocks, phylogenetics, phylogeography, and applied genetics (including identification by genetic methods, molecular ecology, and conservation genetics). An extensive and up-to-date review and critical analysis of the available specialist literature on the topic is provided, with special reference to conservation genetics. Unresolved issues are also described, such as the standard karyotype, systematic position, and whole-genome sequencing, and hotly debated issues are addressed, like the origin of the Southwestern population of the European mink and management approaches of the most distinct populations of the species. Finally, the most urgent directions of future research, based on the research questions arising from completed studies and the implementation of conservation measures to save and restore M. lutreola populations, are outlined. The importance of the popularization of research topics related to European mink genetics among scientists is highlighted.

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The individual courtship behaviour of male European mink (Mustela lutreola) is a good indicator for their breeding success

Cited by 7 publications

References 18 publications

Conservation, animal behaviour, and human-animal relationship in zoos. Why is animal welfare so important?

Conservation, animal behaviour, and human-animal relationship in zoos. Why is animal welfare so important?

Designing an assay to evaluate behavioral responses to opposite‐sex conspecifics in the endangered black‐footed ferret (Mustela nigripes)

Fifty Years of Research on European Mink Mustela lutreola L., 1761 Genetics: Where Are We Now in Studies on One of the Most Endangered Mammals?

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