Genetic Diversity Analysis of Red Fox Populations (Vulpes vulpes L., 1758) in Natural and Anthropogenic Isolation

Abstract

This study presents a comparative analysis of the genetic structure and diversity of three red fox (Vulpes vulpes L.) populations representing different microevolutionary scenarios: panmixia (free-ranging Belarusian foxes), geographic isolation (free-ranging Scottish foxes), and anthropogenic selection (farm-bred foxes). Using a validated set of STR markers, multivariate statistical analysis was conducted to assess the genetic structure and the degree of genetic erosion across the studied groups. The wild red fox population in Belarus has been shown to maintain a state close to panmixia (P_HWE = 0.090), characterized by a high effective population size (N_e = 694) and high allelic diversity. The island population from Scotland exhibits moderate gene pool depletion (N_e = 75.9) and a pronounced heterozygote deficiency (F_IS = 0.18). Critical genetic erosion, which was characterized by a minimal effective population size (N_e = 60.2) and allelic fixation, was detected in the farm-bred group. The genetic distance between farm-bred and wild foxes (F_ST = 0.279; p = 0.001) reflects both the phylogeographic divergence between the Nearctic ancestors of farmed lineages and Palearctic wild populations, and the consequences of prolonged anthropogenic isolation, genetic drift, and selective breeding. These data indicate that artificial isolation and the impacts of genetic drift and targeted selection lead to a substantial depletion of the species' adaptive potential.