Genetic evaluation of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Matschie's tree Kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) captive breeding program

• Published in: Zoo biology 2011-11, Vol.30 (6), p.636-646
• Main Authors: McGreevy, Thomas J., Jr, Dabek, Lisa, Husband, Thomas P
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animal Husbandry - methods; Animals; Animals, Zoo - genetics; aquariums; blood; Breeding - methods; captive animals; DNA, Mitochondrial - genetics; endangered species; feces; Female; gene frequency; genes; Genetic Variation; heterozygosity; inbreeding; kinship; Male; marsupial; Marsupialia - genetics; mean kinship; microsatellite markers; microsatellite repeats; Microsatellite Repeats - genetics; mitochondrial DNA; mtDNA control region; Papua New Guinea; Time Factors; trees; zoos
• ISSN: 0733-3188; 1098-2361
• DOI: 10.1002/zoo.20362

Matschie's tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) is an endangered species that has been bred in captivity since the 1970s. In 1992, the Tree Kangaroo Species Survival Plan® (TKSSP) was established to coordinate the captive management of Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) D. matschiei. The TKSSP makes annual breeding recommendations primarily based on the mean kinship (MK) strategy. Captive breeding programs often use the MK strategy to preserve genetic diversity in small populations—to avoid the negative consequences of inbreeding and retain their adaptive potential. The ability of a captive breeding program to retain the population's genetic diversity over time can be evaluated by comparing the genetic diversity of the captive population to wild populations. We analyzed DNA extracted from blood and fecal samples from AZA (n = 71), captive (n = 28), and wild (n = 22) D. matschiei using eight microsatellite markers and sequenced the partial mitochondrial DNA control region gene. AZA D. matschiei had a similar expected heterozygosity (He = 0.595±0.184) compared with wild D. matschiei (He = 0.628±0.143), but they had different allelic frequencies (FST = 0.126; P