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Analytical DNA fingerprinting in lions: parentage, genetic diversity, and kinship.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Gilbert, DA; Packer, C; Pusey, AE; Stephens, JC; O'Brien, SJ
Published in: The Journal of heredity
September 1991

The application of hypervariable minisatellite genomic families to the reconstruction of population genetic structure holds great promise in describing the demographic history and future prospects of free-ranging populations. This potential has not yet been realized due to unforeseen empirical constraints associated with the use of heterologous species probes, to theoretical limitations on the power of the procedure to track genic heterozygosity and kinship, and to the absence of extensive field studies to test genetic predictions. We combine here the technical development of feline-specific VNTR (variable number tandem repeat) families of genetic loci with the long-term demographic and behavioral observations of lion populations of the Serengeti ecosystem in East Africa. Minisatellite variation was used to quantify the extent of genetic variation in several populations that differed in their natural history and levels of inbreeding. Definitive parentage, both maternal and paternal, was assessed for 78 cubs born in 11 lion prides, permitting the assessment of precise genealogical relationships among some 200 lions. The extent of DNA restriction fragment sharing between lions was empirically calibrated with the coefficient of relatedness, r, in two different populations that had distinct demographic histories. The results suggest that reliable estimates of relative genetic diversity, of parentage, and of individual relatedness can be achieved in free-ranging populations, provided the minisatellite family is calibrated in established pedigrees for the species.

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Published In

The Journal of heredity

DOI

EISSN

1465-7333

ISSN

0022-1503

Publication Date

September 1991

Volume

82

Issue

5

Start / End Page

378 / 386

Related Subject Headings

  • Pedigree
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Male
  • Lions
  • Humans
  • Genetic Variation
  • Female
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • DNA, Satellite
  • DNA Probes
 

Citation

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ICMJE
MLA
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Gilbert, D. A., Packer, C., Pusey, A. E., Stephens, J. C., & O’Brien, S. J. (1991). Analytical DNA fingerprinting in lions: parentage, genetic diversity, and kinship. The Journal of Heredity, 82(5), 378–386. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a111107
Gilbert, D. A., C. Packer, A. E. Pusey, J. C. Stephens, and S. J. O’Brien. “Analytical DNA fingerprinting in lions: parentage, genetic diversity, and kinship.The Journal of Heredity 82, no. 5 (September 1991): 378–86. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a111107.
Gilbert DA, Packer C, Pusey AE, Stephens JC, O’Brien SJ. Analytical DNA fingerprinting in lions: parentage, genetic diversity, and kinship. The Journal of heredity. 1991 Sep;82(5):378–86.
Gilbert, D. A., et al. “Analytical DNA fingerprinting in lions: parentage, genetic diversity, and kinship.The Journal of Heredity, vol. 82, no. 5, Sept. 1991, pp. 378–86. Epmc, doi:10.1093/oxfordjournals.jhered.a111107.
Gilbert DA, Packer C, Pusey AE, Stephens JC, O’Brien SJ. Analytical DNA fingerprinting in lions: parentage, genetic diversity, and kinship. The Journal of heredity. 1991 Sep;82(5):378–386.
Journal cover image

Published In

The Journal of heredity

DOI

EISSN

1465-7333

ISSN

0022-1503

Publication Date

September 1991

Volume

82

Issue

5

Start / End Page

378 / 386

Related Subject Headings

  • Pedigree
  • Molecular Sequence Data
  • Male
  • Lions
  • Humans
  • Genetic Variation
  • Female
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • DNA, Satellite
  • DNA Probes