Phylogeography of Puma concolor in argentine Patagonia: tools for its management and conservation

MAC ALLISTER M.; FIGUEROA C. E.; ACOSTA D.B.; MERINO M.L.; TUNEZ J. I.; TRAVAINI A.; FERNÁNDEZ G.P.

Congreso; The 100th Annual Meeting of the American Society of Mammalogists; 2021

American Society of Mammalogists

The puma (Puma concolor) have the widest distribution of any native mammal in the western hemisphere. In Patagonia it faces two main threats: habitat degradation, and human conflict. Both genetic and taxonomical knowledge should be improved to inform proper management decisions on this top predator. We are identifying and characterizing patterns of genetic variability in Patagonian populations, through the use of mitochondrial molecular markers. From the analysis of 59 individuals for a concatenated of fragments of ND5 (623pb) and Control Region (353pb), 5 mitochondrial haplotypes were found (Hd = 0.441 ± 0.052; Pi = 0.00282 ± 0.00173). Using a Bayesian approach, two phylogenetic clades were identified (posterior probability = 1) in which the populations of the provinces of Neuquén, Chubut and Santa Cruz are in a different clade from those of the North of Buenos Aires. North of Rio Negro and south of Buenos Aires provinces, a region corresponding to the proposed limit for two subspecies, P. concolor puma and P. concolor cabrerae, individuals belonging to both phylogenetic clades were found. These results are essential for the definition of Evolutionarily Significant Units (ESUs) and Management Units (MUs) for the species.