Genetic evidence for variability in the social mating system of the Midday Gerbil (Meriones meridianus)

• Published in: Journal of mammalogy 2023-12, Vol.104 (6), p.1434-1442
• Main Authors: Yu, Peng, Miao, Fei, Kong, Zixuan, Cao, Ruidong, Chen, Peng
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: genetic mating system; genetic structure; Meriones meridianus; microsatellites; Midday Gerbil; parental relatedness; 亲缘关系; 分子微卫星; 子午沙鼠; 遗传性婚配制度; 遗传结构
• ISSN: 0022-2372; 1545-1542
• DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyad080

Social mating systems (e.g., monogamy, polygamy, or polyandry) are relatively stable behavioral strategies developed by environmental in animals, but the genetic imprint of a particular mating system is often incongruent with the social mating system due to extrapair matings. However, the genetics of mating systems remain little understood in rodents. In this study, we investigated the genetic signature of the mating system of 141 (63 females, 78 males) field-captured midday gerbils (Meriones meridianus)—a rodent species commonly found in the Minqin Desert in China—through microsatellite site analyses of genetic structure and relatedness. Seven pairs of highly polymorphic microsatellite loci were selected and were highly polymorphic, with the combined exclusion probability greater than 0.99. The parent pair paternity test by Cervus 3.0 software show that 11 mother–offspring and nine father–offspring relationships were identified in 2018, involving 26 individuals from 10 families. Similarly, 19 mother–offspring and 19 father–offspring relationships were identified in 2019, involving 48 individuals from 18 families. All three types of genetic mating structure were identified—monogamy (19 families), polyandry (4 families), and polygyny (5 families), providing evidence that the genetics underlying mating systems in this species are variable, can be incongruent with behavioral evidence for social mating systems, and could vary based on environmental cues, including degree of perceived or actual predation. 婚配制度(如单配制、一雄多雌制或一雌多雄制)是动物在特定环境和遗传因素条件下形成的相对稳定的繁殖策略，但由于配偶外交配，遗传性婚配制度往往与社会婚配制度不一致。然而，在啮齿类动物中，遗传性婚配制度仍旧研究较少。在本研究中，我们利用多态性分子微卫星位点探究了野外捕获的141只(雌性63只，雄性78只)子午沙鼠(Meriones meridianus)的遗传结构和亲缘关系，子午沙鼠是中国民勤沙漠中常见的一种啮齿动物。本研究共筛选出7对高多态性微卫星位点,综合排除概率大于0.99。通过Cervus 3.0软件进行亲缘关系分析，结果表明2018年捕获的个体中，有11对母子关系和9对父子关系，涉及10个家群的26只沙鼠。与2018年结果相似，2019捕获个体中，有19对母子关系和19对父子关系，涉及18个家群的48只沙鼠。综上子午沙鼠野外群体研究表明，遗传性婚配制度有单配制(19个家群)、一雌多雄制(4个家群)和一雄多雌制(5个家群)。