The Fox DNA Project is an Australia-wide study of the genetics of feral foxes. The project’s goal is to improve our understanding of fox movement patterns, so that control operations can take them into account and be made more effective.

Documenting the population structure of foxes will lead to an understanding of:

• the scale of movement occurring in different Australian landscapes (directly relevant to the scale at which control should take place);

  
  

• where barriers or conduits to dispersal exist;

  
  

• the effectiveness of control programs (for example, rates at which re-invasion occurs);

  
  

• wildlife forensics: provide the background data required to identify the provenance of new and illegal introductions (such as occurred recently in Tasmania).

Approach.

Although each fox in Australia possesses a unique genome, some are more similar to others – reflecting a closer relationship or shorter time since they shared a common ancestor.  For example, full siblings will share half of their genome on average. 

By accurately quantifying these individual relationships and plotting them spatially using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in combination with various genetic analyses, we can accurately reveal the scale at which foxes disperse.  We can also examine how this changes in response to pest-control, different landscape types (e.g. desert vs. forest, vs. pasture), or other relevant variables.  This information would enable pest-control programs to be better targeted.

Fox DNA fingerprints

Most genetic analysis will be conducted using microsatellite DNA markers.  These consist of repeated elements in the genome.  Because they mutate rapidly they are highly variable between individuals and are useful for identifying individuals and determining fine scale genetic relationships.  The same type of DNA marker is used for human forensics.  Another useful tool is mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA).  mtDNA is inherited maternally and unlike chromosomal DNA is not subject to recombination each generation.  This feature makes it an excellent tool for examination of broader scale historical or genealogical relationships, such as how many foxes were introduced to Australia, how fast did the population grow, and where in Europe did they come from?  This could reveal where natural pathogens and parasites of the fox will be found.