Abstract
Understanding population structure and spatial distribution of genetic diversity is an important aspect of developing appropriate management plans for wildlife conservation, especially for large carnivores like the puma (Puma concolor). Human persecution and habitat degradation represent the main threats to the species’ conservation in Argentina, where its population genetics has been only marginally explored, and conflict with livestock is mainly managed by legally harvesting pumas. Combining microsatellite genotyping and mitochondrial DNA sequencing, we investigated patterns of puma population diversity and genetic structure in an area of northern Patagonia heavily disturbed by anthropogenic activities. Moreover, we explored effective population size and functional connectivity to assess if recent habitat modifications might have influenced puma genetics. Our results suggest the presence of two genetic clusters (based on microsatellites) and two different haplotypes, which exhibited a similar geographic separation. Despite the observed pattern of a decrease in genetic association among individuals with increasing geographic distance, we found asymmetric gene flow and non-homogeneously distributed diversity among populations, which could be explained by the effect of human disturbance on puma dispersal capacity. The low-density estimate and the sign of a recent significant bottleneck reinforce our inference. This research contributes to the basic knowledge of puma genetics required for planning conservation strategies that aim to ensure species persistence in northern Patagonia.
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Acknowledgements
The Secretaría de Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo Sustentable of Río Negro province provided the samples and gave the permit for use of the biological material. The Dirección de Fauna y Flora Silvestre national office provided the documentation for sample exportation. We thank the Museo Argentino de Ciencias Naturales “Bernardino Rivadavia” for the material provided. We are thankful to P. Ribeiro, D. Castro, and S. Lopes for lab assistance. This work was funded by: Wild Felid Association (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), Segretaría General de Ciencias y Tecnología-Universidad Nacional del Sur (PGI24/B234), Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO/InBIO) through private funds and Sociedad Argentina para el Estudio de los Mamíferos (SAREM) (2018). O. Gallo, D.F. Castillo, M. Mac Allister and E.B. Casanave were funded by Argentinian national funds through CONICET; G.P. Fernández was funded by Universidad Nacional del Noroeste de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, and R. Godinho was funded by Portuguese national funds through the Foundation for Science and Technology.
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Gallo, O., Castillo, D.F., Godinho, R. et al. Molecular data reveal a structured puma (Puma concolor) population in northern Patagonia, Argentina. Mamm Biol 101, 653–663 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00160-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s42991-021-00160-z