Hybridization of domestic mink with wild American mink (Neovison vison) in eastern Canada

Farmed American mink (Neovison vison (Schreber, 1777)) pose a risk to biodiversity owing to escape and release from farms. Feral mink may affect native species in locations where American mink are not endemic, such as Europe. In contrast, escaping domestic mink may hybridize with wild mink in North America, leading to introgression of domestic traits via hybrid-mediated gene flow. We tested this idea in eastern Canada, which has a history of mink farming. We sampled known domestic and free-ranging mink, and profiled 508 individuals at 15 microsatellite loci. We found that 33% of free-ranging mink were either escaped domestic individuals, domestic–wild hybrids, or were introgressed to domestic or wild parental groups. The greatest prevalence of free-ranging domestic, hybrid, or introgressed mink (59%) occurred in Nova Scotia, which also had the most mink farms. Historic (1980s or earlier) mink sampled from museums had higher allelic richness and private allelic richness than contemporary wild mink. Domestic mink are artificially selected for traits desired by farmers, and as such, introgression with wild mink may lead to a loss of local adaptation. Our findings demonstrate that continued escape and release of mink could pose risks to the maintenance of genetic integrity in wild mink.

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First Description of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in Two Feral American Mink (Neovison vison) Caught in the Wild

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani11051422 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (5) ◽

pp. 1422

Author(s):

Jordi Aguiló-Gisbert ◽

Miguel Padilla-Blanco ◽

Victor Lizana ◽

Elisa Maiques ◽

Marta Muñoz-Baquero ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Rural Areas ◽

American Mink ◽

Human Infection ◽

Neovison Vison ◽

Animal Origin ◽

Mesenteric Lymph Nodes ◽

Molecular Phylogenetic ◽

In The Wild ◽

Free Ranging ◽

Wild Mink

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causal agent of COVID-19, is considered a pathogen of animal origin that is mainly transmitted from human to human. Several animal species can be naturally or experimentally infected by SARS-CoV-2, with compelling evidence that mink is highly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Human-to-mink infection cases have been reported and there are also suggestions that mink-to-human infection occurs. Mink infections have been reported to date only on fur farms, except for one infected free- ranging wild mink near a Utah (USA) fur farm, which suggests a transmission pathway from farms to wild mink. We now report the detection of SARS-CoV-2 in 2 of 13 feral dark brown American mink (Neovison vison) trapped in the Valencian Community (Eastern Spain), during an invasive species trapping campaign. They were trapped in riverbeds in sparsely inhabited rural areas known to harbor self-sustained feral mink populations. The closest fur farm is about 20 km away. SARS-CoV-2 RNA was detected by two-step RT-PCR in these animals’ mesenteric lymph nodes and was confirmed by sequencing a 397-nucleotide amplified region of the S gene, yielding identical sequences in both animals. A molecular phylogenetic analysis was run on this sequence, which was found to correspond to the consensus SARS-CoV-2 sequence from Wuhan. Our findings appear to represent the first example of SARS-CoV-2 acquired in the wild by feral mink in self-sustained populations.

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Timing of reproduction in wild mink: the influence of spawning Pacific salmon

Canadian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.1139/z97-047 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 75 (3) ◽

pp. 376-382 ◽

Cited By ~ 38

Author(s):

M. Ben-David

Keyword(s):

Body Condition ◽

Pacific Salmon ◽

American Mink ◽

Day Length ◽

Timing Of Breeding ◽

Southeast Alaska ◽

Timing Of Reproduction ◽

Seasonally Breeding ◽

Free Ranging ◽

Wild Mink

In many species of seasonally breeding mammals, reproduction occurs later at higher latitudes. Records of timing of reproduction in free-ranging American mink (Mustela vison) in North America and Europe suggest a similar trend. Observations on mink in southeast Alaska, however, revealed a deviation from this pattern, suggesting that factors other than latitude and associated day length may affect timing of breeding for this species in this area. I investigated timing of reproduction and body condition of wild, free-ranging mink on Chichagof Island, southeast Alaska, and hypothesized that seasonal food availability, especially abundant carcasses of spawning Pacific salmon (Onchorhynchus sp.), would determine timing of breeding in this population of mink. Blood progesterone levels, body condition, and testicle lengths were recorded for 24 adult mink, livetrapped from mid-March to late July in 1992 and 1993. Results suggest that these free-ranging mink mate during the later part of April to early May, and parturition occurs in late June to early July. Although male mink seemed to respond to photoperiodism in initiating reproduction, timing of reproduction in female mink was shifted so that lactation coincided with the availability of carcasses of Pacific salmon.

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A Microbial Tale of Farming, Invasion and Conservation: On the Gut Bacteria of European and American Mink in Western Europe

10.21203/rs.3.rs-912230/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Pauline ML Van Leeuwen ◽

Albrecht I Schulte-Hostedde ◽

Christine Fournier-Chambrillon ◽

Pascal Fournier ◽

Lise-Marie Pigneur ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Gut Microbiota ◽

Native Species ◽

Captive Breeding ◽

Prey Availability ◽

American Mink ◽

Natural Habitat ◽

Bacterial Composition ◽

European Mink ◽

Free Ranging ◽

The Impact

Abstract One of the threats that the critically endangered European mink (Mustela lutreola) faces throughout its relict range, including the occidental population, is the impact of the American mink (Mustela vison) invasion in its natural habitat. We aimed to explore the differences in microbiota and genetic diversity between European and American mink to test phylosymbiosis theory. We investigated the gut microbiota composition of European and American mink in a controlled environment (captive breeding compounds and fur farms respectively) to account for the impact of the environment on gut bacterial composition. We compared them to the gut microbiota of both mink species in the natural environment across multiple habitats. Our exploratory results showed differences between free-ranging and captive individuals, with more extreme changes in American mink compared to European mink. However, feral American mink from a long-established population exhibited gut bacterial composition closer to the free-ranging native species compared to more recently established feral populations. This result could be explained by dietary shifts in the area sampled based on prey availability through different landscape, but also to a lesser extent due to greater genetic differentiation. This exploratory work contributes to the scarce literature currently available on the dynamics between gut microbiota and mammal invasion.

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Improving Trapping Efficiency for Control of American Mink (Neovison vison) in Patagonia

Animals ◽

10.3390/ani12020142 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

pp. 142

Author(s):

Gonzalo Medina-Vogel ◽

Francisco Muñoz ◽

Meredith Moeggenberg ◽

Carlos Calvo-Mac ◽

Macarena Barros-Lama ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Native Species ◽

American Mink ◽

Neovison Vison ◽

Trapping Efficiency ◽

Southern Chile ◽

Scent Gland ◽

Canned Fish ◽

Male Scent ◽

Different Seasons ◽

Catch Rates

Two main challenges when controlling alien American mink (Neovison vison) in Patagonia are to maximize campaign efficacy and cost-effectiveness and to avoid trapping native species. We designed and tested new variants of collapsible wire box traps, compared the efficacy of a food-based bait and a scent lure and compared catch rates in different seasons of the year. We used the data to model the efficiency rate of the trapping and to determine the trapping effort required to remove 70–90% of the estimated discrete mink population. Between January 2018 and March 2021, we operated 59 trapping transects over 103 three-day trapping periods in southern Chile. Traps were first baited with canned fish, and afterwards with mink anal gland lure. We compared the efficacy of mink capture with that of our previous study. We trapped 196 mink (125 males, 71 females), with most captures in summer. The medium-sized GMV-18 trap caught more male mink, but the more compact GMV-13 caught fewer non-target rodents and no native mammals. The scent lure was more successful than the canned fish when the previous campaign’s data were included in the analysis. There was also a significant improvement in the proportion of female mink trapped and reduced labour compared with our previous campaign that used larger traps, fish bait and 400–500 m trap spacings. We caught relatively more females than males after the third night of trapping on a transect. Our data analysis supports the use of the GMV-13 variant of wire cage trap as the best trap size: it is effective on female mink, small, cheap and easy to transport. Combined with mink anal scent lure, it reduces the possibility of trapping native species compared with other traps tested in Chile. As the most efficient method for removing at least 70% of the estimated discrete mink population within the area covered by each trap transect in southern Chile tested to date, we recommend trapping campaigns using GMV-13 during summer, with a 200-m trap spacing, for up to 6 days before moving traps to a new site, with a combination of three days with a female scent gland lure, followed by three days with a male scent gland lure.

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Serology and protein electrophoresis for evidence of exposure to 12 mink pathogens in free-ranging American mink (Neovison vison) in Argentina

Veterinary Quarterly ◽

10.1080/01652176.2017.1336810 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 37 (1) ◽

pp. 207-211 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Pablo Eduardo Martino ◽

Luis Ernesto Samartino ◽

Néstor Oscar Stanchi ◽

Nilda Esther Radman ◽

Eduardo Joaquín Parrado

Keyword(s):

American Mink ◽

Protein Electrophoresis ◽

Neovison Vison ◽

Free Ranging

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Assessment of genetic variability in captive and wild American mink (Mustela vison) using microsatellite markers

Canadian Journal of Animal Science ◽

10.4141/a97-115 ◽

1999 ◽

Vol 79 (1) ◽

pp. 7-16 ◽

Cited By ~ 25

Author(s):

A. M. Belliveau ◽

A. Farid ◽

M. O'Connell ◽

J. M. Wright

Keyword(s):

Genetic Variability ◽

American Mink ◽

Wild Type ◽

Eastern Canada ◽

Expected Heterozygosity ◽

Positive Assortative Mating ◽

In The Wild ◽

Related Individuals ◽

Fur Quality ◽

Wild Mink

The genetic variability of 212 black mink from four ranches, and 20 each from wild mink trapped in Eastern Canada, pastel and brown (wild-type) was assessed using seven microsatellite loci. The average number of alleles per locus and expected heterozygosity (HE) in the entire sample were 6.57 and 0.63, respectively. The estimates of HE were comparable among the black mink herds (0.53 to 0.61), and between black and the wild mink (0.50), indicating a considerable level of genetic variability within black mink, despite high levels of uniformity that have been achieved in fur quality traits as a result of many years of intense selection. Brown mink had the highest HE among populations (0.65), which could be the cause or the effect of their higher vigor and reproductive performance compared with the black mink. All the populations showed a higher level of homozygosity than expected from the Hardy-Weinberg (H–W) proportions at several loci (positive FIS), perhaps as a result of linebreeding and positive assortative mating commonly used in the mink industry. Excess of homozygosity in the wild mink may indicate breeding between related individuals occupying adjacent territories, and a limited movement of mink in the wild. The black mink herds were closely related to each other, as were the pastel and brown. Gene flow from common sources to all the herds and infusion of the Jetblack allele into all the ranches were likely the causes of relatedness of the black mink herds. The black mink herds were more closely related to the wild mink than to the colored mink. This panel of microsatellites correctly classified black and nonblack mink into their respective groups with 91 to 97% accuracy. Between 70 and 88% of the black mink were correctly assigned into their herd of origin. Key words: Mink, genetic variability, genetic distance, microsatellites

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Genetic diversity of ranch and feral American mink (Neovison vison Schreber, 1777) in Poland in relation to the natural population of the species

Belgian Journal of Zoology ◽

10.26496/bjz.2019.30 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 149 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Beata Horecka

Keyword(s):

Genetic Diversity ◽

American Mink ◽

Small Degree ◽

Neovison Vison ◽

Current Status ◽

Anthropogenic Factors ◽

History Of ◽

Feral Animals ◽

Genetic Pools ◽

Farming Industry

In Poland, the number of feral mink (Neovison vison) and the size of the fur-farming industry are growing. There is a concern that the gene pool of the wild living mink is being infiltrated by that of ranch animals. Three populations were analyzed: Polish ranch mink, feral animals from Poland, and, they were for the first time in Poland, compared with wild individuals from North America. The breeding history of the species and the main ways of introducing the American mink into new areas on different continents were considered. The final research included analysis of the polymorphism of 12 Mustelidae-specific microsatellite loci. It showed a similar level of genetic diversity in all the investigated populations. The research revealed the existence of geographically-specific subpopulations of feral mink in Poland, characterized by different origins, and indicated a small degree of introgression between Polish ranch and wild living populations in the past although the assignment simulation makes it clear that they are genetically distinct groups. The results are in accordance with previously reported models of colonization of Poland by this species and help to explain the influence of anthropogenic factors on the current status of this invasive species. Mixing of two separate genetic pools from the native range in Poland is a newly identified factor, shaping the genetic structure of ranch and feral populations of Neovison vison.

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