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Evidence of adoption, monozygotic twinning, and low inbreeding rates in a large genetic pedigree of polar bears

René M. Malenfant, David W. Coltman, Evan S. Richardson, Nicholas J. Lunn, Ian Stirling, Elizabeth Adamowicz, Corey S. Davis
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/034009
René M. Malenfant
aDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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  • For correspondence: rene.malenfant@ualberta.ca
David W. Coltman
aDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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Evan S. Richardson
bWildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, CW405 Biological Sciences Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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Nicholas J. Lunn
bWildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, CW405 Biological Sciences Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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Ian Stirling
aDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada
bWildlife Research Division, Science and Technology Branch, Environment Canada, CW405 Biological Sciences Centre, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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Elizabeth Adamowicz
aDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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Corey S. Davis
aDepartment of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton AB T6G 2E9, Canada
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Abstract

Multigenerational pedigrees have been developed for free-ranging populations of many species, are frequently used to describe mating systems, and are used in studies of quantitative genetics. Here, we document the development of a 4449-individual pedigree for the Western Hudson Bay subpopulation of polar bears (Ursus maritimus), created from relationships inferred from field and genetic data collected over six generations of bears sampled between 1966 and 2011. Microsatellite genotypes for 22–25 loci were obtained for 2945 individuals, and parentage analysis was performed using the program FRANz, including additional offspring–dam associations known only from capture data. Parentage assignments for a subset of 859 individuals were confirmed using an independent high-density set of single nucleotide polymorphisms. To account for unsampled males in our population, we performed half-sib–full-sib analysis to reconstruct males using the program COLONY, resulting in a final pedigree containing 2957 assigned maternities and 1861 assigned paternities with only one observed case of inbreeding between close relatives. During genotyping, we identified two independently captured two-year-old males with identical genotypes at all 25 loci, showing—for the first time—a case of monozygotic twinning among polar bears. In addition, we documented six new cases of cub adoption, which we attribute to cub misidentification or misdirected maternal care by a female bereaved of her young. Importantly, none of these adoptions could be attributed to reduced female vigilance caused by immobilization to facilitate scientific handling, as has previously been suggested.

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The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 International license.
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Posted December 15, 2015.
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Evidence of adoption, monozygotic twinning, and low inbreeding rates in a large genetic pedigree of polar bears
René M. Malenfant, David W. Coltman, Evan S. Richardson, Nicholas J. Lunn, Ian Stirling, Elizabeth Adamowicz, Corey S. Davis
bioRxiv 034009; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/034009
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Evidence of adoption, monozygotic twinning, and low inbreeding rates in a large genetic pedigree of polar bears
René M. Malenfant, David W. Coltman, Evan S. Richardson, Nicholas J. Lunn, Ian Stirling, Elizabeth Adamowicz, Corey S. Davis
bioRxiv 034009; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/034009

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