Establishment of Wild-Derived Strains of Japanese Quail (Coturnix japonica) in Field and Laboratory Experiments

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Domestic quail have been used for egg and meat production and laboratory experiments. Although the wild ancestors of quail live around the Japanese Archipelago, there is a lack of field studies, especially on reproductive sites. Wild-derived strains of several species have been established to study their domestication history and genetic control. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate wild quails and create wild-derived quail strains. Field observations during the breeding season have provided insights into the wild quails’ migration, reproductive, and social behaviors. Morphological traits were measured in 31 quails (2019–2022 population). By comparing them with the 1914 and 1970 populations, the morphological traits of wild quail stocks in Japan might have been relatively stable over the latest ten decades. In 2021–2022, each two captured wild (Wild) males were mated with both the domestic (Dom) females and hybrids of Dom and Wild (W50) females. We established wild-derived strains of quail (W50 and W75), providing opportunities for future conservation use as wild quail stocks and experimental use in basic science. ABSTRACT: Domestic quail are used as both farm and laboratory animals. As the wild ancestor of quails is “endangered,” field studies are needed to conserve them. If wild-derived strains of quail are established, they will be unique genetic resources for both farm and laboratory animals. The purpose of the present study was to conduct a field study and create wild-derived quail strains using the breeding stocks in Tokachi, Hokkaido, Japan. Field observations from 2019 to 2022 indicate that wild quails migrate and stay at reproductive sites from late April to late October. Our estimations of the approximate ages of the observed and captured quails imply that adult males have intermittent reproductive opportunities from May to August. Morphological traits collected from adult and juvenile quails in the 2019–2022 population were similar to those previously reported for Japan’s 1914 and 1970 populations. Using natural mating of captured wild males and domestic (Dom) females, we established the W50 and W75 strains, which possessed 50% and 75% genetic contributions from the wild stocks. These unique genetic resources can be applied for future conservation and experimental use to understand the domestication history and genetic basis of quantitative traits.