IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Eizirik, E.; Trigo, T.C.; Haag, T.; Freitas, T.R.O.; Bonatto, S.L.; Salzano, F.M.; Oliveira, T.G.; Sana, D.A.; Cullen Jr., L.; Crawshaw Jr., P.G.; Morato, R.G.; Johnson, W.E.; O'Brien, S.J. | |
| Conservation Genetics and Molecular Ecology of Neotropical Felids | |
| 2007 Conference Proceeding | |
The Neotropical region harbors 10 species of wild felids, all of which are currently threatened by a variety of human activities. Conservation efforts on behalf of these species are hampered by the scarcity of information on basic aspects of their biology, including geographic range, ecology, population structure and evolutionary history. In this paper we describe and discuss recent results addressing two specific issues: (i) population genetics of remnant jaguar populations in Southwestern Brazil; (ii) genetic and ecological analyses of a hybrid zone between two wild felids (_Leopardus tigrinus _and _L. geoffroyi_). In the first topic, we will discuss the conservation implications of our genetic analyses of 35 wild-caught jaguar individuals originating in several fragments of Inland Atlantic Forest, now isolated by human-dominated landscapes. Multi-locus microsatellite analyses indicate detectable genetic differentiation among fragments, suggesting a strong effect of recent genetic drift as a likely explanation. In the second topic, we will describe a hybridization process identified between two wild felids where their geographic ranges meet, which we have characterized from genetic (multiple markers), ecological (diet, habitat association) and morphological standpoints. We address the history of this phenomenon, and relate it to another hybrid zone involving _L. tigrinus _and _L. colocolo_. |
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