title: Males and females contribute unequally to offspring genetic diversity in the polygynandrous mating system of wild boar.
abstract: The maintenance of genetic diversity across generations depends on both the number of reproducing males and females. Variance in reproductive success, multiple paternity and litter size can all affect the relative contributions of male and female parents to genetic variation of progeny. The mating system of the wild boar (Sus scrofa) has been described as polygynous, although evidence of multiple paternity in litters has been found. Using 14 microsatellite markers, we evaluated the contribution of males and females to genetic variation in the next generation in independent wild boar populations from the Iberian Peninsula and Hungary. Genetic contributions of males and females were obtained by distinguishing the paternal and maternal genetic component inherited by the progeny. We found that the paternally inherited genetic component of progeny was more diverse than the maternally inherited component. Simulations showed that this finding might be due to a sampling bias. However, after controlling for the bias by fitting both the genetic diversity in the adult population and the number of reproductive individuals in the models, paternally inherited genotypes remained more diverse than those inherited maternally. Our results suggest new insights into how promiscuous mating systems can help maintain genetic variation.
authors.affiliation: Ungulate Research Unit, Cátedra de Recursos Cinegéticos y Piscícolas (CRCP), University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom; Biology and Ethology Unit, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain; Guardería Rural, Mancomunidad Integral de Municipios Centro (MIMC), Calamonte, Spain.
authors.forename: Javier
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Pérez-González
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto (CIBIO-UP), Vairão, Portugal.
authors.forename: Vânia
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Costa
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais Mediterrânicas (ICAAM), Universidade de Évora, Évora, Portugal.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Santos
authors.affiliation: Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Jon
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Slate
authors.affiliation: Ungulate Research Unit, Cátedra de Recursos Cinegéticos y Piscícolas (CRCP), University of Córdoba, Córdoba, Spain; Biology and Ethology Unit, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: Juan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Carranza
authors.affiliation: Biology and Ethology Unit, University of Extremadura, Cáceres, Spain; Innovación en Gestión y Conservación de Ungulados S.L., Cáceres, Spain.
authors.forename: Pedro
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fernández-Llario
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Herceghalom, Hungary; University of Kaposvár, Kaposvár, Hungary.
authors.forename: Attila
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zsolnai
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto (CIBIO-UP), Vairão, Portugal; Centro de Investigação em Biomedicina (CEBIMED), Faculty of Health Sciences, University Fernando Pessoa, Porto, Portugal.
authors.forename: Nuno M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Monteiro
authors.affiliation: Research Institute for Animal Breeding and Nutrition, Herceghalom, Hungary.
authors.forename: István
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Anton
authors.affiliation: Forest Management and Wood Industry Share Company (SEFAG, Somogyi Erdő- és Fafeldolgozó Gazdaság), Kaposvár, Hungary.
authors.forename: József
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Buzgó
authors.affiliation: Forest Management and Wood Industry Share Company (SEFAG, Somogyi Erdő- és Fafeldolgozó Gazdaság), Kaposvár, Hungary.
authors.forename: Gyula
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Varga
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Universidade do Porto (CIBIO-UP), Vairão, Portugal.
authors.forename: Albano
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Beja-Pereira
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D005260:Female; D014644:Genetic Variation; D008297:Male; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D012098:Reproduction; D012727:Sex Characteristics; D012726:Sexual Behavior, Animal; D034421:Sus scrofa / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology