Journal
REPRODUCTION FERTILITY AND DEVELOPMENT
Volume 31, Issue 7, Pages 1296-1304Publisher
CSIRO PUBLISHING
DOI: 10.1071/RD18152
Keywords
adaptation to captivity; conservation; insurance population; microsatellites; pedigree; reproductive success; translocation
Categories
Funding
- Australian Research Council [LP0989727, LP0989613, FT0992212, DP110102656, DP110102731, LP140100508, DP140103260, DP170101253, DP180102465]
- Morris Animal Foundation
- Holsworth Wildlife Research Endowment
- San Diego Zoo Global
- University of Sydney
- Australian Research Council [LP0989613, LP0989727, FT0992212] Funding Source: Australian Research Council
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Tasmanian devils are threatened in the wild by devil facial tumour disease: a transmissible cancer with a high fatality rate. In response, the Save the Tasmanian Devil Program (STDP) established an insurance population' to enable the preservation of genetic diversity and natural behaviours of devils. This breeding program includes a range of institutions and facilities, from zoo-based intensive enclosures to larger, more natural environments, and a strategic approach has been required to capture and maintain genetic diversity, natural behaviours and to ensure reproductive success. Laboratory-based research, particularly genetics, in tandem with adaptive management has helped the STDP reach its goals, and has directly contributed to the conservation of the species in the wild. Here we review this work and show that the Tasmanian devil breeding program is a powerful example of how genetic research can be used to understand and improve reproductive success in a threatened species.
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