Social and genetic relationships among individuals in urban kit fox social groups

IF 16.4 1区化学 Q1 CHEMISTRY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Accounts of Chemical Research Pub Date : 2024-07-11 DOI:10.1139/cjz-2024-0057

K. Ralls, Tammy R. Wilbert, Brian Cypher, Christine Van Horn Job, Jesus E Maldonado

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Abstract

Smaller canids, such as most foxes, individually hunt small prey, and therefore social groups typically consist of just a mated pair. However, these smaller canids occasionally form groups in which the members have been presumed to be genetically or socially related. We studied social and genetic relationships among urban San Joaquin kit fox (Vulpes macrotis mutica Merriam, 1888) groups in Bakersfield, California. Of 59 groups, 42.4% had extra adults in addition to the parents. Foxes were field classified as either mothers, fathers, helpers (extra adults), or pups. We then assessed relatedness of foxes within social groups using 11 microsatellites in DNA from tissue or hair samples. Mated pairs were significantly less related than mothers and helpers, with fathers and helpers being intermediate. Twelve pairs of females were mother-daughter dyads but we also found two cases of sisters and two cases where the females were unrelated. Pups were always related to a female identified as their mother. Father-pup pairs were less related than mother-pup pairs, with helper-pup pairs being intermediate. The extra-pair paternity rate (multiple fathers per litter) was 39%. The social flexibility exhibited by kit foxes may increase their resiliency to marked fluctuations in resource availability thereby reducing extinction risk.

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城市狐狸社会群体中个体间的社会和遗传关系

体型较小的犬科动物，如大多数狐狸，单独捕食小猎物，因此社会群体通常只有一对交配的配偶。然而，这些小型犬科动物偶尔也会组成群体，其中的成员被认为具有遗传或社会关系。我们研究了加利福尼亚贝克斯菲尔德城市圣华金狐（Vulpes macrotis mutica Merriam, 1888）群体之间的社会和遗传关系。在 59 个狐群中，42.4% 的狐群除了父母外还有额外的成年狐。狐狸被现场分类为母亲、父亲、帮手（额外的成年狐）或幼狐。然后，我们利用组织或毛发样本 DNA 中的 11 个微卫星来评估社会群体内狐狸的亲缘关系。交配对的亲缘关系明显低于母亲和帮手，父亲和帮手的亲缘关系介于两者之间。有 12 对雌鼠是母女关系，但我们也发现了两对姐妹关系和两对无血缘关系的雌鼠。幼鸟总是与被认定为母亲的雌鸟有亲缘关系。父-幼体配对的亲缘关系低于母-幼体配对，而助手-幼体配对的亲缘关系介于两者之间。配对外父子关系率（一胎多父）为 39%。狐狸所表现出的社会灵活性可能会提高它们对资源可用性明显波动的适应能力，从而降低灭绝风险。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Accounts of Chemical Research 化学-化学综合

CiteScore

31.40

自引率

1.10%

发文量

312

审稿时长

2 months

期刊介绍： Accounts of Chemical Research presents short, concise and critical articles offering easy-to-read overviews of basic research and applications in all areas of chemistry and biochemistry. These short reviews focus on research from the author’s own laboratory and are designed to teach the reader about a research project. In addition, Accounts of Chemical Research publishes commentaries that give an informed opinion on a current research problem. Special Issues online are devoted to a single topic of unusual activity and significance. Accounts of Chemical Research replaces the traditional article abstract with an article "Conspectus." These entries synopsize the research affording the reader a closer look at the content and significance of an article. Through this provision of a more detailed description of the article contents, the Conspectus enhances the article's discoverability by search engines and the exposure for the research.