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Presents information on a study which evaluated the effects of human interaction on domestic rabbits. Mitochondrial DNA typing of rabbit breeds; Materials and methods; Results and discussion.

Abstract Infectious diseases and their demographic consequences are thought to influence the genetic diversity of populations. In Europe, during the last 50 years, the European rabbit (Oryctolagus cuniculus) has suffered two important viral epizootics: myxomatosis and rabbit viral haemorraghic disease (RVHD). Although mortality rates were very high, the impact of these diseases on genetic diversity has never been assessed directly. The subject of this paper is a wild rabbit population in France, which has been studied since the beginning of the 1980s. The first outbreak of RVHD occurred in 1995 and provoked a demographic crash. The population, sampled for the first time in 1982 and 1994, was sampled again at the end of 1996 to examine the impact of the epizootic on genetic diversity. In spite of the observed high mortality rate (≈ 90%), analysis of 14 polymorphic loci (allozymes and microsatellites) showed no loss in genetic diversity after the epizootic. Determination of temporal changes in allele frequencies indicated that the population evolved under genetic drift. The temporal method of Waples demonstrated a significant decrease in the effective population size (Ne) correlated with the demographic crash due to the epizootic. However, the population had only been studied for two generations after the epizootic and the remnant population size probably stayed high enough (≈ 50 individuals) to keep its genetic diversity at the precrash level. These results suggest that, contrary to what is usually thought and in spite of the subsequent high mortality rates, past epizootics (especially myxomatosis) may have had little effect on the genetic diversity of wild rabbit populations in Europe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European rabbit ( Oryctolagus cuniculus) is now widely distributed throughout the world as a result of transportation by man. The original populations, however, were confined to southern France and Spain. In order to investigate the role of human intervention in determining the genetic diversity of rabbit populations, we are studying the origin of rabbits introduced onto a small Mediterranean island (Zembra) near Tunis over 1400 years ago, by examining ancient DNA extracted from rabbit bones found both on Zembra and on the European mainland. Ancient DNA was successfully extracted from rabbit bones found at two archaeological sites dated to at least the Early Bronze Age (more than 3500 years ago) in south-central France, and compared to that found in modern mainland and island populations using a small variable region of the cytochrome b gene. The results confirm that the Zembra Island population is descended from that present over 1400 years ago. The technical aspects of DNA extraction from bones and the implications of this type of research for determining the origin of introduced rabbit populations are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic variability of D. sechellia is investigated at both mitochondrial and nuclear levels. The results reveal the existence of a single main type of mtDNA with very few variants and a very low enzyme polymorphism. This situation is consistent with the small population size of this specialized species. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mitochondrial DNA of the European rabbit (Oryctolugus cuniculus) contains a tandem array of 153-bp repeats in the vicinity of the replication origin of the H-strand. Variation among molecules in the number of these repeats results in inter- and intraindividual length polymorphism (heteroplasmy). Generally, in an individual, one predominant molecular type is observed, the others representing a low percentage of the mtDNA content. At the tissue level, we observe a particular distribution of this polymorphism in the gonads compared with liver, kidneys, or brain, implying a relationship between the differentiation status of the cells and the types of new mtDNA molecules which appear and accumulate during lifetime. Similar tandem repeats were also found in the mtDNA noncoding region of European hares (Lepus europaeus), a cottontail (Sylvilugus~oridunus), and a pika (Ochotonu rufescens). The lengths and the sequences of these units evolve rapidly and in a concerted way, but the number of repeats is maintained in a narrow range, and an internal 20-bp segment is highly conserved. Constraints restrict the evolution of the primary sequence of these repeated units, the number of which is probably controlled by a stabilizing selection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farfantepenaeus notialis is an important resource for fisheries in Cuba. For this reason and for a sustainable exploitation it is important to study their population structure and genetic variability. We report and characterize microsatellites as genetic markers from this species. Fifteen microsatellite polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were designed and tested in some individuals from different populations. Seven pair of primers showed reliable amplification products and five were polymorphic. The allele number ranged from 4 to 33, and the observed and expected heterozygosities were relatively high with values between 0.63 and 0.74 and 0.56 and 0.81, respectively. Departures from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium were observed for all loci. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]