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Scientific reports2020; 10(1); 3973; doi: 10.1038/s41598-020-60552-y

Molecular sexing and preliminary assessment of population sex ratio of the endangered Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus) in Peninsular Malaysia.

Abstract: A molecular sexing method by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) amplification of a portion of the sex-determining region Y (SRY) and the zinc finger (ZF) gene, as well as six equine Y-chromosome-specific microsatellite markers, were tested in the Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus). While the microsatellite markers did not yield any male-specific amplicons for sex-typing, the SRY/ZF marker system produced reliable molecular sexing results by accurately sex-typing 31 reference Malayan tapirs, using whole blood, dried blood spot (DBS), or tissue samples as materials for DNA extraction. The marker system was also tested on 16 faecal samples, and the results were in general consistent with the pre-determined sexes of the animals, despite some amplification failures. A preliminary estimation of wild Malayan tapir population sex ratio was estimated from the Wildlife Genomic Resource Bank (WGRB) database of the Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN), zoos, and the Sungai Dusun Wildlife Conservation Centre (WCC), as well as from the results of molecular sexing 12 samples of unknown sex. The overall sex ratio favoured females, but the deviation from parity was statistically not significant when tested using the binomial test (p > 0.05), which may be due to reduced statistical power caused by small sample sizes.
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Publication Date: 2020-03-04 PubMed ID: 32132572PubMed Central: PMC7055354DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-60552-yGoogle Scholar: Lookup
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  • Journal Article
  • Research Support
  • Non-U.S. Gov't

Summary

This research summary has been generated with artificial intelligence and may contain errors and omissions. Refer to the original study to confirm details provided. Submit correction.

This research experimented with a molecular sexing method to accurately determine the sex of the endangered Malayan tapir in Peninsular Malaysia. Using varying sources of DNA, such as blood or tissue samples, and a unique marker system, the researchers were able to produce generally reliable sexing results. Despite some test failures, the experiment’s sexing method was deemed successful and was used to create a preliminary estimate of the tapir population’s sex ratio.

Research Methodology

  • The researchers employed a molecular sexing method using Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR). This method amplifies parts of the sex-determining region Y (SRY) and the Zinc Finger (ZF) gene which are commonly used to determine the sex of an organism.
  • Apart from the SRY/ZF method, six equine Y-chromosome-specific microsatellite markers were also tested. However, these markers did not yield male-specific amplicons necessary for sex-typing.
  • The sex-typing method was tested on 31 reference Malayan tapirs. Various materials such as whole blood, dried blood spot (DBS), or tissue samples were used for DNA extraction.

Analysis and Findings

  • The SRY/ZF marker system was consistent in determining the sex of the tapirs, despite some amplification failures.
  • The same marker system was tested on 16 faecal samples and the results generally matched with the pre-determined sexes of the animals.
  • The researchers also provided a tentative estimate of the sex ratio in the wild Malayan tapir population. They sourced data from the Wildlife Genomic Resource Bank (WGRB), the Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks (PERHILITAN), zoos, and the Sungai Dusun Wildlife Conservation Centre (WCC), as well as from molecularly sexing 12 samples of unknown sex.

Conclusion

  • The overall sex ratio of the Malayan tapir population leaned towards females, but the deviation from a balanced sex ratio was statistically non-significant.
  • While the results offer some insights into the tapir population’s sex distribution, the researchers acknolwedged that the statistical significance of their findings may have been hampered by small sample sizes used in the study.

Cite This Article

APA
Lim QL, Tan YL, Ng WL, Yong CSY, Ismail A, Rovie-Ryan JJ, Rosli N, Annavi G. (2020). Molecular sexing and preliminary assessment of population sex ratio of the endangered Malayan tapir (Tapirus indicus) in Peninsular Malaysia. Sci Rep, 10(1), 3973. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-60552-y

Publication

Scientific reports
ISSN: 2045-2322
NlmUniqueID: 101563288
Country: England
Language: English
Volume: 10
Issue: 1
Pages: 3973
PII: 3973

Researcher Affiliations

Lim, Qi Luan
  • Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
  • Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
Tan, Yoeng Leh
  • Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
Ng, Wei Lun
  • China-ASEAN College of Marine Sciences, Xiamen University Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
Yong, Christina Seok Yien
  • Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
Ismail, Ahmad
  • Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia.
Rovie-Ryan, Jeffrine J
  • National Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Ex-Situ Conservation Division, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
  • Institute of Tropical Biodiversity and Sustainable Development, Universiti Malaysia Terengganu, Terengganu, Malaysia.
Rosli, Norsyamimi
  • National Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Ex-Situ Conservation Division, Department of Wildlife and National Parks, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Annavi, Geetha
  • Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia. geetha@upm.edu.my.

MeSH Terms

  • Animals
  • Endangered Species / statistics & numerical data
  • Feces / chemistry
  • Female
  • Malaysia
  • Male
  • Microsatellite Repeats / genetics
  • Perissodactyla / genetics
  • Sex Ratio
  • Y Chromosome / genetics

Conflict of Interest Statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

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