Historical range expansion and biological changes of Sus scrofa corresponding to domestication and feralization
- PDF / 1,002,413 Bytes
- 12 Pages / 595.276 x 790.866 pts Page_size
- 71 Downloads / 198 Views
REVIEW
Historical range expansion and biological changes of Sus scrofa corresponding to domestication and feralization Nathaniel H. Wehr 1,2 Received: 21 January 2020 / Accepted: 7 September 2020 # Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Bialowieza, Poland 2020
Abstract Globally, Sus scrofa is one of the most widely recognized species inhabiting earth alongside humans. Known by many names (wild boar, domestic swine, feral pig), S. scrofa is both an ecosystem engineer and an important agricultural species. Originating in Southeast Asia 5 million years ago, S. scrofa naturally expanded throughout Eurasia and into North Africa but now inhabits every continent, except Antarctica. The worldwide distribution of S. scrofa can be attributed largely to human-mediated transport occurring over the course of the past 500 years particularly during the European age of exploration. Biologically, the differences between wild, domestic, and feral populations can be traced to these historical events, which resulted in a marked increase in reproductive rates and growth rates among domestic populations that have generally been shown to regress when these populations become feral. Given the importance of this species ecologically and the great deal of available research describing it, this review summarizes existing literature on the global expansion and corresponding biological changes of S. scrofa within a historical and genetic context to allow for better understanding of the species. Keywords Boar . Hog . Invasive . Native . Pig . Swine
Introduction One of the most broad-ranging species on earth (Ruvinsky and Rothschild 1998), Sus scrofa is commonly known as Old World swine, Eurasian wild boar or hogs, domestic pigs or swine, and feral or wild pigs, hogs, or swine (Keiter et al. 2016). This broad range of names by which S. scrofa is recognized is indicative of the vast portion of earth it inhabits, which includes every continent except Antarctica, as well as the species’ genetic and morphometric diversity. Globally, the range of S. scrofa is primarily limited by its inability to withstand harsh winters in polar climates and arid conditions in desert regions with only small pockets of refugia existing in Communicated by: Cino Pertoldi * Nathaniel H. Wehr [email protected] 1
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management, University of Hawai’i at Mānoa, 1910 East West Rd., Sherman Laboratory 101, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
2
Present address: Global Wildlife Conservation Center, State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry, 1 Forestry Dr., Illick Hall 244, Syracuse, NY 13210, USA
these areas (Alexander et al. 2015; Lewis et al. 2017; Long 2003; McClure et al. 2015). The ability of S. scrofa to survive in this wide array of climates is often attributed to their overall adaptability and flexible diet. An opportunistic omnivore, S. scrofa will consume most forms of vegetation including roots, stems, leaves, fruits, and nuts as well as obtain protein from carrion and mac
Data Loading...
