Inbreeding can have negative effects on a population, as it increases the risk of passing on mutated or harmful alleles and decreases genetic diversity. Conservation efforts for captive species or threatened populations are usually aimed at increasing heterozygosity by discouraging inbred progeny. Such efforts are currently underway at the Western North Carolina Nature Center in Asheville, NC, which houses a male and a female river otter (Lontra canadensis). However, the relatedness of the two otters is unknown and breeding is only worth pursuing if the two otters are not genetically identical. Fecal samples were used as a means of DNA extraction in order to noninvasively determine the genetic background of the otters. DNA was successfully purified and isolated in both the male (12.8 ng/μL) and female (4.9 ng/µL) fecal samples and mitochondrial DNA was amplified via polymerase chain reaction (PCR). The PCR products were then sequenced and compared using BLAST from GenBank. The identity score from GenBank can be used to determine an acceptable level of relatedness between the otters to allow them to breed and produce diverse offspring.
