ABSTRACT

Many aspects of Sus scrofa biology are well described as pigs have been domesticated for nearly 10,000 years (see Chapter 2), serving as food for humans and model organisms routinely used as human surrogates in medical and forensic sciences (Swanson et al. 2004, Dekeirsschieter et al. 2009). Aspects of domestic pig biology that are well understood include their physiology, aging, genetics, and reproduction. In particular, the entire Sus scrofa genome was sequenced in 2012, resulting in substantial understanding of the genetic architecture and traits in this species. Despite our knowledge 200of domestic pigs, basic biological and ecological attributes of wild Sus scrofa remain understudied, particularly in their invasive ranges. Such deficiencies stem from a multitude of factors, historically reflecting a lack of interest and funding for basic ecological studies, with almost no research published on wild pigs prior to the 1950’s (Figure 9.1). However, a dramatic increase in ecological studies on Sus scrofa has occurred over the last few decades, within both its native and invasive ranges (Figure 9.1). In North America, this increase reflects growing awareness of economic and ecological impacts that wild pigs have on both native and anthropogenic ecosystems (e.g., agriculture). Counts of published articles on wild pigs within their introduced and native ranges from 1910 to November 2016. (Adapted from Web of Science; Search terms: feral pigs, feral swine, <italic>Sus scrofa</italic>, wild boar, wild hogs, wild pigs.) https://s3-euw1-ap-pe-df-pch-content-public-u.s3.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com/9781315233055/4da4ee64-2bae-4381-9f37-c35d3db8697a/content/fig9_1_B.tif"/>