Molecular tracking of jaguar melanism using faecal DNA |
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Authors: | Taiana Haag Anelisie S. Santos Fernanda P. Valdez Dênis A. Sana Leandro Silveira Laury Cullen Jr. Carlos De Angelo Ronaldo G. Morato Peter G. Crawshaw Jr. Francisco M. Salzano Eduardo Eizirik |
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Affiliation: | 1. Programa de Pós-Gradua??o em Genética e Biologia Molecular, Depto. Genética, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, 91501-970, Brazil 2. Laboratório de Biologia Gen?mica e Molecular, Faculdade de Biociências, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre, RS, 90619-900, Brazil 3. Instituto Pró-Carnívoros, Atibaia, SP, 12945-010, Brazil 4. Jaguar Conservation Fund/Instituto On?a-Pintada, Mineiros, GO, 75830-000, Brazil 5. Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas, Teodoro Sampaio, SP, 19280-000, Brazil 6. Asociación Civil Centro de Investigaciones del Bosque Atlántico (CeIBA), CP3370, Puerto Iguazú, Argentina 7. CENAP/ICMBio, Atibaia, SP, 12941-680, Brazil
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Abstract: | Major evolutionary questions remain elusive due to persistent difficulties in directly studying the genetics of variable phenotypes in natural populations. Many phenotypic variants may be of adaptive relevance, and thus important to consider in the context of conservation genetics. However, since the dynamics of these traits is usually poorly understood in the wild, their incorporation in conservation strategies is difficult to accomplish. For animals which exhibit intriguing phenotypic variation but are difficult to track in the wild, innovative approaches are required to investigate such issues. Here we demonstrate that non-invasive DNA sampling can be used to study the genetics and ecology of melanism in the jaguar, by directly genotyping the molecular polymorphism underlying this coloration trait. These results open new prospects for the in-depth investigation of this polymorphism, and highlight the broader potential of non-invasive DNA-based phenotype tracking for wildlife in general. |
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