Conservation genetics of the genus Sus

Abstract

Recent technical advances in biochemical and molecular biology make it possible to study the populationgenetics and phylogenetics using biological samples collected undestructively during field researches, or collectedfrom museum specimens. Applications of conservation genetics of the genus Susrangefrom the definition of a molecular phylogeny of the Suiformes to the description of boundaries between species and subspecies and theidentification of the origins of wild, feral, domestic or cross-breeded populations. In this paper I review informationon the genetic structure of west European wild pig populations, and present recent findings on nucleotide variabilityof mitochondrial DNA genes. The amplification of DNA through the polymerase chain reaction and following nucleotide sequencing of selected mitochondrial DNA genes, are effective methods which can be applied to describepatterns of within- and among- species genetic variability in the Suidae.