Skutki restytucji żubra, po 70 latach hodowli, na tle innych gatunków zagrożonych homozygotycznością

• Authors: Janusz Gill

Title variants

EN

Results of the restitution of the european bison after 70 years of breeding as compared to other endangered homozygotic species

• Languages of publication: PL EN

Abstracts

EN

Summary In this paper are presented many facts emphasizing the important efforts of the Białowieża National Park in restoring the European bison after its extinction in 1919. For long centuries the European bison lived in Poland in two Primeval Forests: Knyszyńska and Białowieska ones. In the middle of the 18th century, it become extinct in Knyszyńska Forest. Since that time the population living up to 1919 in Białowieża Primeval Forest was fully isolated. The restitution started in 1929 with 5 individuals that had survived in zoological gardens and parks. They were strongly inbred. Therefore, the contemporary population of the European bison is highly homozygotic and, as a result, its genetic variability is very low. This may cause some metabolic changes. To compare the bison population with other highly homozygotic endangered populations of animals living in freedom and in captivity, situations concerning cheetah, the Florida panther, lions in Asia and Africa, pumas and some other small populations has been presented. In all those populations, a result of a continued cascade in gene loss, as structural abnormalities in spermatozoa (up to 90 %) and other symptoms of reduced genetic variation, were found. In contemporary European bison populations, changes were observed since 1980 in preputial skin and in penis, and since 1992 - cysts in epididymis, in up to 41 % of males and cryptorchidism, in 10 males. All these diseases diminish the number of bulls available for reproduction.

• Journal: Kosmos
• Year: 2002
• Volume: 51
• Issue: 4
• Pages: 483-489

Dates

published

2002

Contributors

author

Janusz Gill

• Zakład Fizjologii Zwierząt Kręgowych Uniwersytet Warszawski, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warszawa, Polska

References

• BARONE M., ROELKE M. E., HOWARD J. G., ANDERSON A. E., WILDT D. E ., 1993. Reproductive characteristics of male Florida panthers: comparative studies from Florida, Texas, Colorado, Latin America and North American zoos. J. Mamm.
• GILL J., 1999. Zarys fizjologii żubra. Severus-Warszawa.
• HOWARD J.G., BUSH M., HALL L.L., WILDT D. E., 1984. Morphological abnormalities in spermatozoa of 28 species of nondomestic felids. Proc. X Int. Cong. Anim. Reprod. Artif. Insem. 2, 87-89.
• KITA J., DZIĄBA K., PIUSIŃSKI W., ANUSZ K., LENARTOWICZ Z., KOWALSKI B., KRASIŃSKI Z., KRUPA J., LEOENIEWSKI S., 1990. Schorzenie narządu płciowego żubrów samców w stadzie wolnym w Puszczy Białowieskiej. Med. Wet. 46, 474-426.
• KELLNER K. 2000. Europ. Asa. Zoo Wildtife Veterin., Munich, Germany.
• KRASIŃSKI Z. A., BUNEVICH A., N., KRASIŃSKA M., 1994. Charakterystyka populacji żubra nizinnego w polskiej i białoruskiej części Puszczy Białowieskiej. Parki Narodowe i Rezerwaty Przyrody 13, 25-67.
• KRASIŃSKI Z.A., KRASIŃSKA M., BUNEVICH A.N., 1999. Wolne populacje żubrów nizinnych w Puszczy Białowieskiej. Parki Narodowe i Rezerwaty Przyrody 13, 3-75.
• MATUSZEWSKA M., SYSA P. S., 1996. Zmiany ultrastrukturalne jąder komórek podporowych /k. Sertoliego/, występowanie torbieli najądrza i ocena kariotypu żubra /Bison bonasus L./. X Kongr. Pol. Tow. Nauk Weteryn., Wrocław 3, 605.
• MATUSZEWSKA M., SYSA P. S. 2002. Cysts in the epididymis of European bison. J. Wild. Diseases 38, w druku.
• PRIESTER W.A., GLASS A.G., WAGGONER N.S., 1970. Congenital defects in domesticated animals: General considerations. Am. J. Vet. Res. 31, 1871-1879.
• PUCEK Z., SEAL K. S., MILLER P. 1996. Population and habitat viability assessment for the European bison (Bison bonasus). IUSN/SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group. Apple Valey Minnesota, USA 1-138.
• WILDT D.E., 1994. Endangered species spermatozoa: Diversity, Research and Conservation. [W:] Function of Somatic Cells in the Testis. BARTKE A. (red.), Springer Verlag, New York.
• WILDT D. E., BUSH M., HOWARD J. G., 1983. Unique seminal quality in the South African cheetah and a comparative evaluation in the domestic cat. Biol. Reprod. 29, 1019-1025.
• WILDT D. E., BUSH M., GOODROWE K. L., 1987. Reproductive and genetic consequences of founding isolated lion populations. Nature 329, 328-331.
• WILDT D.E., PHILLIPS L.G., SIMMONS L.G., 1988. A comparative evaluation of ejaculate and hormonal characteristics of the captive male cheetah, tiger, leopard and puma. Biol. Reprod. 38, 245-255.
• WRIGHT S., 1931. Evolution in Mendelian populations. Genetics 16, 97159-97168.
• WRÓBLEWSKI K., 1927. Żubr Puszczy Białowieskiej. Wyd. Polskie, Poznań.