Identification of prey species in the biological corridor proposed for the North-Central zone of Misiones (Argentina)

ANALÍA MERCEDES FERREYRA; DELFINA SOTORRES; KAREN ELIZABETH DEMATTEO; CARINA FRANCISCA ARGÜELLES

Mendoza - Argentina

Congreso; XVII Congreso Latinoamericano de Genética XLVII Congreso Argentino Genética LII Reunión Anual de la Sociedad de Genética de Chile VI Congreso de la Sociedad Uruguaya de Genética V Congreso Latinoamericano de Genética Humana V Simposio Latinoameticano de; 2019

Asociación Latinoamericana de Genética, Sociedad Argentina de Genética, Sociedad de Genética de Chile, Red Latinoamericana de Genética Humana, Sociedad Uruguaya de Genética,

The province of Misiones holds the largest remaining tract of Upper Paraná Atlantic Forest Ecoregion, which is largely included in an area recognized asthe Green Corridor. However, the province has a discontinuity in the landscape, where the protected areas are immersed in a matrix of altered habitats, which vary in size and connectivity. In order to analyze the impact of habitat fragmentation and increasing hunting pressure on the presence of prey mammals in the northern-central zones of Misiones, noninvasive techniques were used in the collection of scats from 4 prey species, Tapirus terrestris, Tayassu pecari, Pecari tajacu and Cuniculus paca, in areas of the proposed Biological Corridor using the extraordinary olfactory capacity of detection dogs. These samples were combined with genetic analyses to the species level with partial amplification of the mitochondrial Cytochrome b gene. A total of 63 scats of target species were collected, of which 77.8% (n=49) corresponded to one of the three prey species: 11 T. terrestris, 30 T. pecari, and 8 P. tajacu. No C. paca was genetically confirmed. Therefore, the presence of prey species is confirmed in the proposed Biological Corridor relative to the five species of carnivores, which makes it imperative that this corridor be solidify and put into action, as soon as possible.