Feral swine genotypes and metadata used for identifying translocations in the United States

Globalization has led to the frequent movement of species out of their
native habitat. Some of these species become highly invasive and capable
of profoundly altering invaded ecosystems. Feral swine (Sus scrofa ×
domesticus) are recognized as being among the most destructive invasive
species, with populations established on all continents except Antarctica.
Within the United States (US), feral swine are responsible for extensive
crop damage, the destruction of native ecosystems, and the spread of
disease. Purposeful human-mediated movement of feral swine has contributed
to their rapid range expansion over the past 30 years. Patterns of
deliberate introduction of feral swine have not been well described as
populations may be established or augmented through small, undocumented
releases. By leveraging an extensive genomic database of 18,789 samples
genotyped at 35,141 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), we used deep
neural networks to identify translocated feral swine across the contiguous
US. We classified 20% (3,364/16,774) of sampled animals as having been
translocated and described general patterns of translocation using
measures of centrality in a network analysis. These findings unveil
extensive movement of feral swine well beyond their dispersal
capabilities, including individuals with predicted origins >1,000
km away from their sampling locations. Our study provides insight into the
patterns of human-mediated movement of feral swine across the US and from
Canada to the northern areas of the US. Further, our study validates the
use of neural networks to study the spread of invasive species.