Data from: Founder events, isolation, and inbreeding: Intercontinental genetic structure of the domestic ferret

Domestication and breeding for human-desired morphological traits can
reduce population genetic diversity via founder events and artificial
selection, resulting in inbreeding depression and genetic disorders. The
ferret (Mustela putorius furo) was domesticated from European polecats (M.
putorius), transported to multiple continents, and has been artificially
selected for several traits. The ferret is now a common pet, a laboratory
model organism, and feral ferrets can impact native biodiversity. We
hypothesized global ferret trade resulted in distinct international
genetic clusters and that ferrets transported to other continents would
have lower genetic diversity than ferrets from Europe because of extreme
founder events and no hybridization with wild polecats or
genetically-diverse ferrets. To assess these hypotheses, we genotyped 765
ferrets at 31 microsatellites from 11 countries among the continents of
North America, Europe, and Australia and estimated population structure
and genetic diversity. Fifteen M. putorius were genotyped for comparison.
Our study indicated ferrets exhibit geographically-distinct clusters and
highlights the low genetic variation in certain countries. Australian and
North American clusters have the lowest genetic diversities and highest
inbreeding metrics whereas the United Kingdom (UK) cluster exhibited
intermediate genetic diversity. Non-UK European ferrets had high genetic
diversity, possibly a result of introgression with wild polecats. Notably,
Hungarian ferrets had the highest genetic diversity and Hungary is the
only country sampled with two wild polecat species. Our research has broad
social, economic, and biomedical importance. Ferret owners and
veterinarians should be made aware of potential inbreeding depression.
Breeders in North America and Australia would benefit by incorporating
genetically-diverse ferrets from mainland Europe. Laboratories using
ferrets as biomedical organisms should consider diversifying their genetic
stock and incorporating genetic information into bioassays. These results
also have forensic applications for conserving the genetics of wild
polecat species and for identifying and managing sources of feral ferrets
causing ecosystem damage.