[Domestication as a possible mode of biodiversity conservation (as exemplified by the river otter Lutra lutra L., 1758)].
On an experimental basis in the Institute of Cytology and Genetics Siberian Division, Russian Academy of Sciences, a cage population of river otter (Lutra lutra) was formed. During the introduction period of captivity, as the selection for stress resistance in an anthropogenic environment is shown to be a crucial factor. Through the course of domesticating river otters, directional selection occurs due to the increase in the number of individual otters and to the absence of fear-induced response toward humans. In the initial generation caught in the wild, three types of animals were revealed: cowardly or showing a fear-induced response (80%), aggressive (10%), and quiet (10%). After three generations were reared in captivity, the relationship between these three phenotypes changed in favor of otters with a quiet response toward man; the percentage increased. After three generations, these quiet animals comprised 37%. The percentages of aggressive and cowardly animals accounted for 11 and 52%, respectively.
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D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000818:Animals; D000829:Animals, Domestic; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008297:Male; D010041:Otters / Q000235:genetics*