Susceptibility to a sexually transmitted disease in a wild koala population shows heritable genetic variance but no inbreeding depression

The koala, one of the most iconic Australian wildlife species, is facing several concomitant threats that are driving population declines. Some threats are well known and have clear methods of prevention (e.g., habitat loss can be reduced with stronger land-clearing control), whereas others are less easily addressed. One of the major current threats to koalas is chlamydial disease, which can have major impacts on individual survival and reproduction rates and can translate into population declines. Effective management strategies for the disease in the wild are currently lacking, and to date we know little about the determinants of individual susceptibility to disease. Here we investigated the genetic basis of variation in susceptibility to chlamydia using one of the most intensively studied wild koala populations. We combined data from veterinary examinations, chlamydia testing, genetic sampling and movement monitoring. Out of our sample of 342 wild koalas, 60 were found to have chlamy...

作为澳大利亚最具标志性的野生动物物种之一，考拉正面临多种协同威胁，这些威胁正导致其种群数量下降。部分威胁已为人熟知，且具备明确的防控手段（例如，通过加强土地清理管控可缓解栖息地丧失问题），而另有部分威胁则较难应对。当前考拉面临的主要威胁之一为衣原体病（chlamydial disease），该疾病会对个体存活与繁殖率造成严重影响，并进而引发种群数量下降。目前尚缺乏针对野生考拉的该疾病有效管理策略，且迄今为止我们对个体疾病易感性的决定因素知之甚少。本研究依托全球被研究最为深入的野生考拉种群之一，探究了考拉衣原体易感性差异的遗传基础。研究整合了兽医检查、衣原体检测、遗传采样以及活动监测所获得的数据。在本次采样的342只野生考拉中，有60只被检出感染衣原体……