Moderate Genetic Diversity and Demographic Reduction in the Threatened Giant Anteater, Myrmecophaga tridactyla

Autor: Carmen Elena Barragán-Ruiz, Rosane Silva-Santos, Bruno H. Saranholi, Arnaud L. J. Desbiez, Pedro Manoel Galetti
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2021
Předmět:
Zdroj: Frontiers in Genetics, Vol 12 (2021)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 1664-8021
DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.669350
Popis: In general, large mammal species with highly specialized feeding behavior and solitary habits are expected to suffer genetic consequences from habitat loss and fragmentation. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the genetic diversity distribution of the threatened giant anteater inhabiting a human-modified landscape. We used 10 microsatellite loci to assess the genetic diversity and population structure of 107 giant anteaters sampled in the Brazilian Central-Western region. No genetic population structuring was observed in this region suggesting no gene flow restriction within the studied area. On the other hand, the moderate level of genetic diversity (Ho = 0.54), recent bottleneck detected and inbreeding (Fis, 0.13; p ≤ 0.001) signatures suggest potential impacts on the genetic variation of this Xenarthra. Additionally, a previous demographic reduction was suggested. Thus, considering the increased human-promoted impacts across the entire area of distribution of the giant anteater, our results can illustrate the potential effects of these disturbances on the genetic variation, allowing us to request the long-term conservation of this emblematic species.
Databáze: Directory of Open Access Journals