Work of Cambridge researchers could help save the otter
The genetic code of the otter has been sequenced in a move it is hoped willhelp protect the charismatic British mammals from environmental threats.
The sequencing and release of the first high-quality Eurasian otter genome -all of the DNA that makes up the animal's chromosomes - has been done byscientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute near Cambridge.
The Institute hopes to sequence the genomes of every animal species in the UK by 2028.
It is hoped the move, in partnership with the Cardiff University Otter Project,will help better understand the biology of otters, see how toxic chemicals intheir environment affect them and help with conservation efforts.
Britain's otter population crashed by 80% to 94% in the 1970s as a result ofthe accumulation of pollutants such as the pesticides DDT and dieldrin andchemicals known as PCBs, and almost vanished from England entirely.
The crash in otter numbers, caused by the impact of the toxic chemicals on the mammals' health and reproduction and their fish food sources, was a warning sign that Britain's rivers were in serious trouble as the mammals sit at the top of the food chain.
Since a ban on many of the worst pollutants, levels of contaminants havedeclined, allowing otters to make a comeback to rivers across the country, and by 2011 they had returned to every county in England.
The genome of the reference otter, which died recently in the south west, willbe openly available for use by the research community.
It will allow scientists to assess how chemical toxins affected the species andhow they adapted to them, as well as inform future conservation efforts.
Dr Frank Hailer, of the Cardiff University Otter Project, said: "The ottergenome will give researchers access to the goldmine of information stored inotter sample archives. This will make it possible for us to explore the genetic traces left in an otter's DNA, recording how the individual was affected by, and adapted to, changes in their environment."