Genetic Monitoring of the Captive Breeding and Reintroduction of the Siberian Crane, Russia's Endemic Species (Leucogeranus leucogeranus, Gruidae)

A captive population of the Siberian crane has existed in Russia for over 40 years, at the moment numbering 13 founders of natural origin and 17 breeders from the first and second generations, and mainly reproducing through artificial insemination. Since 2010, using molecular genetic markers, we have been monitoring the breeding and reintroduction of the Siberian crane, analyzing the genetic diversity and relationships in different generations of the population; establishing paternity in chicks obtained as a result of multiple artificial insemination; and determining the sex in individuals at different stages of their development. A total of 304 Siberian crane individuals have been genotyped by microsatellite loci. The group of breeders from the first and second generations appears still to retain the high-level heterozygosity of the founders. However, there has been a loss of allelic diversity and an increased relatedness. Paternity has been established in 135 individuals, with sex identification carried out for 225 offspring. The primary (at the time of fertilization) and secondary (at the time of hatching) ratios of males to females in the offspring of the Siberian crane in captivity have been shown to be close to 1 : 1 parity. We have completed the previously missing information on sex and paternity in the Siberian Crane International Studbook, including data on dead or released birds using specimens from the collection of allantoises. In general, in the modern livestock of first- and second-generation breeders in the captive population of the Siberian crane in Russia, high genetic diversity is maintained. Yet because of the increased relatedness and inbreeding in the offspring, the aging and natural loss of founders, and an insufficient reproductive success of young breeders, it is necessary to enrich the gene pool of this population by new birds from the wild or unrelated individuals from other breeding centers or zoos.