A joint research group led by Yasushi Yamazawa of Yamagata University (Faculty of Science, 4th year) and Project Assistant Professor Toshihito Takagi of Fukushima University, determined the parentage of Athma's moles, which are difficult to directly observe and raise because they live completely underground. indicated that the marker was available.It is hoped that this will provide clues to the mystery of the breeding pattern of moles.
Moles inhabit almost all of the Japanese archipelago except for Hokkaido.However, because it is a small mammal adapted to the underground, little is known about its breeding from breeding studies.In order to elucidate the reproductive ecology of such animals, there is analysis using genetic markers (microsatellite markers).Previous research had already developed genetic markers for Azuma's moles, which live mainly in eastern Japan, but it was unclear whether they could be used for individual identification and paternity determination.
Therefore, the research group used a mother and her three offspring that gave birth while breeding to verify whether the genetic markers of previous research can be used for individual identification and parentage determination.They also genotyped the father and estimated the number of males involved in mating.
As a result, it was confirmed that the 10 loci of microsatellite markers developed in the previous research had enough polymorphism to allow individual identification.In addition, it was possible to estimate the genotype of the father of the parent and child targeted in the study with high probability, and it was estimated that only one male was the father of the three offspring.
The present study showed that it is possible to determine paternity in Azuma's moles.In the future, if pregnant females can be systematically captured and analyzed, it will be a clue to clarify the breeding pattern of moles, which has been a big mystery so far, such as whether they are monogamous or polygamous.
Paper information:[Mammalian science] Usefulness of microsatellite marker analysis for elucidating the reproductive ecology of Mogera imaizumii
