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Assessing landscape connectivity for South-Central Argentine pumas dispersing under genetic source-sink dynamics

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Abstract

Context

Identification of areas with high connectivity is crucial for large carnivores’ management and conservation, especially where landscape has been modified by human activities. Partially under legal hunting control, south-central Argentine pumas (Puma concolor) have been described to be structured into two distinct groups with an inverse correlation between gene flow and hunting pressure.

Objectives

To further assess puma genetic structure and test whether isolation-by-distance and/or isolation-by-resistance could explain the previously reported putative correlation between gene flow and hunting pressure.

Methods

We explored spatial segregation of pumas by testing for hierarchical structure within previously identified clusters, genetic differentiation among sampling regions, and isolation-by-distance among individuals. Using a land cover resistance-based approach, we assessed landscape influence on puma connectivity to analyze landscape permeability between sampling sites.

Results

Our study added a third genetic group to the previously identified clusters, reporting significant genetic differentiation among sampling regions. We also observed a significant correlation among geographic and genetic distances, supporting genetic structure and gene flow pattern of connectivity. We identified a continuous high current flow across the landscape where shrublands are the primary habitat, whereas landscape permeability declined as grassland cover increases.

Conclusions

Genetic structure and gene flow among south-central Argentine pumas can be partially related to the landscape connectivity pattern observed in the area. These results are extremely important for puma conservation in the area because the identification of high-permeability linkage zones can now be used to gather ecological fine-scale data to support more appropriate conservation strategies, aiming to preserve important dispersal areas for this apex predator.

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Acknowledgements

The Dirección de Fauna y Flora Silvestre of Buenos Aires and Chubut provinces, and the Secretaría de Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable of Río Negro province provided sample collection permits. The authors thank Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia”, “La Plata” Museum, M. Guerisoli, R. Llanos, A. Andrade, R. D’Agostino, D. Udrizar Sauthier, and M. Faillá for contributing to sample collection for this study. We thank J. Campos for assistance with Ciscuitscape v4.0.

Funding

Fundings were provided by: The Wild Felid Research & Management Association (Wild Felid Legacy Scholarship, 2016), Conservation, Research and Education Opportunities International (2014), Agencia Nacional de Promoción Científica y Tecnológica (PICT 2283/2015), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET; PIP11220130100060CO01), Secretaría General de Ciencia y Tecnología—Universidad Nacional del Sur (PGI24/B234), Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos (CIBIO/InBIO) through private funds, and Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos (SAREM). OG, DFC, and EBC were supported by CONICET; RG was supported by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (DL57/2016/CP1440/CT[SFRH/BPD/88496/2012]).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratorio de Genética Para La Conservación (GENCON) - Instituto de Ciencias Biológicas Y Biomédicas del Sur (INBIOSUR)-CONICET, Dpto. de Biología, Bioquímica y Farmacia, Universidad Nacional del Sur, San Juan 671, 8000, Bahía Blanca, Argentina

    Orlando Gallo, Diego F. Castillo & Emma B. Casanave

  2. Centro de Investigação Em Biodiversidade E Recursos Genéticos, CIBIOInBio Laboratório AssociadoUniversidade Do Porto, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal

    Raquel Godinho

  3. Departamento de Biologia, Faculdade de Ciências, Universidade Do Porto, 4099-002, Porto, Portugal

    Raquel Godinho

  4. BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, 4485-661, Vairão, Portugal

    Raquel Godinho

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  1. Orlando Gallo
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  2. Diego F. Castillo
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  3. Raquel Godinho
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  4. Emma B. Casanave
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Contributions

OG: Software, formal analysis, writing—original draft, methodology. OG, DC, RG: data curation. DC, RG: validation. OG, DC, EC, EBC: project administration. DC, RG, EC: supervision. OG, DC, RG, EC: conceptualization, resources, funding acquisition, and writing—review & editing.

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Correspondence to Orlando Gallo.

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Gallo, O., Castillo, D.F., Godinho, R. et al. Assessing landscape connectivity for South-Central Argentine pumas dispersing under genetic source-sink dynamics. Landsc Ecol 38, 999–1012 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10980-022-01585-8

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