Transcript The Black-Footed Ferret

The Black-Footed Ferret
Amanda Heyn, Laura
Icenhour, & Evan Fitch
Background
http://animals.nationalgeographic.com/staticfiles/NGS/Shared/
StaticFiles/animals/images/primary/black-footed-ferret.jpg
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Black-Footed Ferrets
are members of the
weasel family
(Mustelidae)
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Ferrets are nocturnal
and do most hunting at
night
Background Cont’d
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The Black-Footed
Ferret prey on prairie
dogs and lives in their
burrows
Ferrets were thought
to be extinct
A population of ferrets
was found in 1981
http://www.nps.gov/wica/naturescience/images/Prairie-Dogs.jpg
Survival Factors
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Cancer carried on recessive allele
Susceptibility to Canine distemper
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A contagious, incurable, often fatal, multisystemic
viral disease affecting the respiratory,
gastrointestinal, and central nervous systems in
mammals.
Canine distemper is fatal for ferrets 100% of the
time.
First introduced to ferret population in 1981
Geographical Location
http://www.ngpc.state.ne.us/wildlife/ferret.asp
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Ferrets were once found
throughout the Great
Plains, from Texas to
southern Saskatchewan,
Canada.
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Since 1985, efforts have
been made to breed the
ferrets in captivity and
then reintroduce them
into the wild.
Bottleneck Effect
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Bottleneck effect refers to the reduction of a
population’s gene pool and the accompanying
changes in gene frequency produced when a few
members survive the widespread elimination of a
species.
The black footed ferrets underwent a bottleneck
effect resulting in the last wild population site of
ferrets to be discovered in Meeteetse, Wyoming
1981.
About 25% of the original 19 founders’ genes have
made it into the current population.
If canine distemper had been allowed to
continue in the population in Wyoming…
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Would the prevalent genotypes reverse?
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Would the dangerous recessive allele lead to
an increased number of ferret death?
Vensim Model
Genotypes
1
0.5
0
0
2
4
6
Time (Month)
Homozygous Dominant : Current
Heterozygous : Current
Homozygous Recessive : Current
Total Pop : Current
8
10
Vensim Key
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Homozygous Dominant=Blue
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Homozygous Recessive=Green
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As time increases dominant allele decreases
As time increases dangerous recessive allele
levels off
Heterozygous=Red
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As time increases heterozygous allele remains
unaffected
Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium
p² + 2pq + q² = 1
p + q =1
p2 =.33
p=.57
q=.43
q2 =.18
2pq=.49
Total Population=180
HD=42
HR=59
H=79
Hardy-Weinberg Graph
X axis=P
Y axis=Q
•As P increases Q
decreases
•P=.57
•Q=.43
Pictures
http://www.pc.gc.ca/nature/eep-sar/itm3-/images/MikeLockhart2-.jpg
http://ww1.prweb.com/prfiles/2007/05/14/526310/BlackFootedFerrets04Web.jpg
http://www.nsf.gov/od/lpa/news/03/images/black_footed_ferrets.jpg
http://www.smh.com.au/ffximage/2007/08/10/black_footedferret1_wideweb__470x314,0.jpg
Resources
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Averting Extinction, Tim W. Clark
Prairie Night; Brian Miller, Richard P.
Reading, and Steve Forrest
http://www.defenders.org/wildlife_and_habita
t/wildlife/black-footed_ferret.php
www.animalhealthgeneral.com