Identifying Priority Giant Anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) Populations for Conservation in Sao Paulo State, Brazil

Autor(es)

Sartori, Ricardo Quiterio ^[1] ; Lopes, Alessandro Garcia ^[1] ; Aires, Luiz Paulo Nogueira ^[2] ; Bianchi, Rita de Cassia ^[3] ; de Mattos, Cinara Cassia Brandao ^[4] ; Morales, Adriana Coletto ^[3] ; Castiglioni, Lilian ^{[1, 4, 2]}

Afiliação do(s) autor(es)

^[1] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Grad Program Biosci, Sch Biosci Humanities & Exact Sci, Sao Jose Do Rio Preto, SP - Brazil

^[2] Rio Preto Univ Ctr UNIRP, Sao Jose De Rio Preto, SP - Brazil

^[3] Sao Paulo State Univ Unesp, Sch Agr & Vet Sci, Jaboticabal, SP - Brazil

^[4] Sao Jose De Rio Preto Med Sch FAMERP, Sao Jose De Rio Preto, SP - Brazil

• Tipo de documento: Artigo Científico
• Fonte: ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION; v. 11, n. 2 NOV 2020.
• Citações Web of Science: 0

Resumo

Habitat loss is the main threat to biodiversity conservation worldwide. Some species may be particularly susceptible to the effects of fragmentation and the isolation of populations. The impacts of human activity on wild animal populations may be understood through relationships between individual genetic data and spatial landscape variables, particularly when considering local population dynamics influenced by fragmented habitats. Thus, the objective of this study was to analyze the population structure and genetic diversity of the giant anteater (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) using an individual sampling scheme (ISS) on a regional geographic scale. Data were collected from 41 specimens from twenty different locations in Sao Paulo State, Brazil, and six polymorphic microsatellite loci were genotyped. Our results indicate that barriers to gene flow exist and have segregated individuals of the farther away areas into two spatially structured clusters. The populations were also found to have high genetic diversity. The experimental sampling approach used herein enabled an analysis of the population dynamics of the giant anteater on a regional scale, as well as the identification of priority populations for genetic resource conservation for this species. The results reflect the need for adequate management plans. The efficacy of the sampling scheme may vary based on the study model used, but we argue that the use of an ISS combined with suitable molecular markers and statistical methods may serve as an important tool for initial analyses of threatened or vulnerable species, particularly in anthropized regions where populations are small or hard to characterize. (AU)

• Processo FAPESP: 16/13023-7 - Caracterização molecular e análise da variabilidade genética em Myrmecophaga tridactyla (tamanduá-bandeira).
• Beneficiário: Lilian Castiglioni
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 13/18526-9 - Importância de remanescentes de cerrado para o tamanduá-bandeira (Myrmecophaga tridactyla) no Nordeste de São Paulo
• Beneficiário: Rita de Cassia Bianchi
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Programa BIOTA - Regular
• Processo FAPESP: 14/05302-8 - Isolamento e caracterização genética de Toxoplasma gondii em Myrmecophaga tridactyla (Linnaeus, 1758)
• Beneficiário: Lilian Castiglioni
• Modalidade de apoio: Auxílio à Pesquisa - Regular