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Alvarez-Aleman A, Hunter ME, Frazer TK, Powell JA, Alfonso EG, Austin JD. The first assessment of the genetic diversity and structure of the endangered West Indian manatee in Cuba. Genetica 2022; 150:327-341. [PMID: 36271978 DOI: 10.1007/s10709-022-00172-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2022] [Accepted: 10/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
The coastal waters of Cuba are home to a small, endangered population of West Indian manatee, which would benefit from a comprehensive characterization of the population's genetic variation. We conducted the first genetic assessment of Cuban manatees to determine the extent of the population's genetic structure and characterize the neutral genetic diversity among regions within the archipelago. We genotyped 49 manatees at 18 microsatellite loci, a subset of 27 samples on 1703 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), and sequenced 59 manatees at the mitochondrial control region. The Cuba manatee population had low nuclear (microsatellites HE = 0.44, and SNP HE = 0.29) and mitochondrial genetic diversity (h = 0.068 and π = 0.00025), and displayed moderate departures from random mating (microsatellite FIS = 0.12, SNP FIS = 0.10). Our results suggest that the western portion of the archipelago undergoes periodic exchange of alleles based on the evidence of shared ancestry and low but significant differentiation. The southeast Guantanamo Bay region and the western portion of the archipelago were more differentiated than southwest and northwest manatees. The genetic distinctiveness observed in the southeast supports its recognition as a demographically independent unit for natural resource management regardless of whether it is due to historical isolation or isolation by distance. Estimates of the regional effective population sizes, with the microsatellite and SNP datasets, were small (all Ne < 60). Subsequent analyses using additional samples could better examine how the observed structure is masking simple isolation by distance patterns or whether ecological or biogeographic forces shape genetic patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anmari Alvarez-Aleman
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, 2035 McCarty hall D, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA. .,Centro de Investigaciones Marinas, Universidad de La Habana, Calle 16 # 114 Entre 1ra y 3ra Plaza, Havana, Cuba. .,Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Clearwater, FL, USA.
| | - Margaret E Hunter
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 7920 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, FL, 32653, USA
| | - Thomas K Frazer
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, 2035 McCarty hall D, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.,College of Marine Science, University of South Florida, 140 Seventh Avenue South, KRC 3109, St. Petersburg, FL, 33701, USA
| | - James A Powell
- Clearwater Marine Aquarium Research Institute, Clearwater Marine Aquarium, Clearwater, FL, USA
| | - Eddy Garcia Alfonso
- Refugio de Fauna Lanzanillo-Pajonal-Fragoso, Empresa Provincial para la Protección de la Flora y la Fauna, Villa Clara, Cuba
| | - James D Austin
- School of Natural Resources and Environment, University of Florida, 2035 McCarty hall D, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA.,Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL, 32611, USA
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Sá ALAD, Baker PKB, Breaux B, Oliveira JM, Klautau AGCDM, Legatzki K, Luna FDO, Attademo FLN, Hunter ME, Criscitiello MF, Schneider MPC, Sena LDS. Novel insights on aquatic mammal MHC evolution: Evidence from manatee DQB diversity. DEVELOPMENTAL AND COMPARATIVE IMMUNOLOGY 2022; 132:104398. [PMID: 35307479 DOI: 10.1016/j.dci.2022.104398] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 03/14/2022] [Accepted: 03/14/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
The low diversity in marine mammal major histocompatibility complex (MHC) appears to support the hypothesis of reduced pathogen selective pressure in aquatic systems compared to terrestrial environments. However, the lack of characterization of the aquatic and evolutionarily distant Sirenia precludes drawing more generalized conclusions. Therefore, we aimed to characterize the MHC DQB diversity of two manatee species and compare it with those reported for marine mammals. Our results identified 12 and 6 alleles in T. inunguis and T. manatus, respectively. Alleles show high rates of nonsynonymous substitutions, suggesting loci are evolving under positive selection. Among aquatic mammals, Pinnipeda DQB had smaller numbers of alleles, higher synonymous substitution rate, and a dN/dS ratio closer to 1, suggesting it may be evolving under more relaxed selection compared to fully aquatic mammals. This contradicts one of the predictions of the hypothesis that aquatic environments impose reduced pathogen pressure to mammalian immune system. These results suggest that the unique evolutionary trajectories of mammalian MHC may impose challenges in drawing ecoevolutionary conclusions from comparisons across distant vertebrate lineages.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Luiz Alves de Sá
- Laboratory of Applied Genetics (LGA), Socio-Environmental and Water Resources Institute (ISARH), Federal Rural University of the Amazon (UFRA), Av. Presidente Tancredo Neves 2501, 66077-830, Belém, PA, Brazil; Laboratory of Genomics and Biotechnology, Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), R. Augusto Correa 01, 66075-110, Belém, PA, Brazil.
| | - Pamela Ketrya Barreiros Baker
- Laboratory of Genomics and Biotechnology, Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), R. Augusto Correa 01, 66075-110, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Breanna Breaux
- Comparative Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA
| | - Jairo Moura Oliveira
- Zoological Park of Santarém - Universidade da Amazônia (ZOOUNAMA), R. Belo Horizonte, 68030-150, Santarém, PA, Brazil
| | - Alex Garcia Cavalleiro de Macedo Klautau
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação da Biodiversidade Marinha do Norte (CEPNOR), Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), Av. Presidente Tancredo Neves 2501, 66077-830, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Kristian Legatzki
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação da Biodiversidade Marinha do Norte (CEPNOR), Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade (ICMBio), Av. Presidente Tancredo Neves 2501, 66077-830, Belém, PA, Brazil
| | - Fábia de Oliveira Luna
- National Center for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Mammals, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (CMA), ICMBio, Rua Alexandre Herculano 197, 11050-031, Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Fernanda Löffler Niemeyer Attademo
- National Center for Research and Conservation of Aquatic Mammals, Chico Mendes Institute for Biodiversity Conservation (CMA), ICMBio, Rua Alexandre Herculano 197, 11050-031, Santos, SP, Brazil
| | - Margaret Elizabeth Hunter
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center, 7920 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, FL, 32653, USA.
| | - Michael Frederick Criscitiello
- Comparative Immunogenetics Laboratory, Department of Veterinary Pathobiology, College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 77843, USA.
| | - Maria Paula Cruz Schneider
- Laboratory of Genomics and Biotechnology, Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), R. Augusto Correa 01, 66075-110, Belém, PA, Brazil.
| | - Leonardo Dos Santos Sena
- Center for Advanced Biodiversity Studies (CEABIO), Biological Sciences Institute, Federal University of Pará (UFPA), R. Augusto Correa 01, 66075-110, Belém, PA, Brazil.
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Carolina Oliveira de Meirelles A, Lima D, Danise de Oliveira Alves M, Carlos Gomes Borges J, Marmontel M, Luz Carvalho V, Rodrigues dos Santos F. Don’t let me down: West Indian manatee, Trichechus manatus, is still Critically Endangered in Brazil. J Nat Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126169] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
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Caballero S, Ortiz-Giral MC, Bohorquez L, Lozano Mojica JD, Caicedo-Herrera D, Arévalo-González K, Mignucci-Giannoni AA. Mitochondrial Genetic Diversity, Population Structure and Detection of Antillean and Amazonian Manatees in Colombia: New Areas and New Techniques. Front Genet 2021; 12:726916. [PMID: 34899829 PMCID: PMC8662808 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2021.726916] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus) and the Amazonian manatee (Trichechus inunguis) are distributed in rivers in the Caribbean and Amazonian region of Colombia respectively. For 30 years, genetic information has been obtained from these populations in order to inform conservation programs for these endangered species and decide on the location to release them back to the wild. However, in previous studies, samples from rivers in some areas of the country were not included, given the difficulties to access these regions due to either logistic or safety issues. In this study, we analyzed mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) control region (CR) sequences of from samples of T. manatus (n = 37) and T. inunguis (n = 4) (410 and 361 bp, respectively), obtained in new and previously unexplored rivers and bays in the country, including Santa Marta, Urabá Gulf, Ayapel Marsh (San Jorge River Basin), Meta River and Magdalena Medio and the low Magdalena River (Cesar Province and Canal del Dique) as well as additional samples from Puerto Nariño in the Colombian Amazon. Our results included the discovery of two newly described mtDNA CR haplotypes for T. manatus. In addition, we confirmed significant population differentiation at the mitochondrial level between the Magdalena and Sinú rivers and differentiation among areas of the same river, including the middle and low Magdalena River. This differentiation may be related to anthropic changes in the river since construction of the Canal del Dique in the XVI century. We also tested environmental DNA sampling and analyses techniques to evaluate its potential use for manatee detection and monitoring in bodies of water in Colombia, in order to evaluate new areas for future manatee conservation initiatives. We emphasize the need to continue using genetic information to provide evidence on the potential best locations to undertake animal release to prevent outbreeding depression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Caballero
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular de Vertebrados Acuáticos (LEMVA), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Maria Camila Ortiz-Giral
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular de Vertebrados Acuáticos (LEMVA), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Laura Bohorquez
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular de Vertebrados Acuáticos (LEMVA), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Juan Diego Lozano Mojica
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular de Vertebrados Acuáticos (LEMVA), Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - Katherine Arévalo-González
- Cabildo Verde, Sabana de Torres, Colombia
- Fundación Internacional para La Defensa de La Naturaleza y La Sustentabilidad-FINS, Chetumal, Mexico
| | - Antonio A. Mignucci-Giannoni
- Centro de Conservación de Manatíes del Caribe, Universidad Interamericana de Puerto Rico, Bayamón, Puerto Rico
- Center for Conservation Medicine and Ecosystem Health, Ross University School of Veterinary Medicine, Basseterre, St. Kitts
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Narváez Ruano V, Utreras B V, Zapata-Ríos G. Occupancy and population density estimates of the Amazonian manatee in eastern Ecuador. ENDANGER SPECIES RES 2021. [DOI: 10.3354/esr01094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The Amazonian manatee Trichechus inunguis has been categorized as Vulnerable by the IUCN. There have been few studies on the species in its natural habitats due to its elusive nature and the low visibility of its aquatic habitats. Understanding the conservation status of Amazonian manatees, as well as any changes in their population trends and direct threats, is the basis for their management and conservation. Our study was carried out in 2 localities of the Ecuadorian Amazon (Tambococha-Jatuncocha and the Lagarto River), in the provinces of Sucumbíos and Orellana. We surveyed Amazonian manatees along rivers and in lagoons, using fish finder side-scan sonar to increase detectability rates. We estimated encounter rates, population density and occupancy. With a sampling effort of 573 km, we obtained an average encounter rate of 0.90 records 10 km-1 and estimated a population density of 1.09 and 0.94 ind. km-2 in Tambococha-Jatuncocha and the Lagarto River, respectively. In addition, occupancy rates varied between 0.51 and 0.57, and presence and distribution of the species were associated with distance to humans. The Amazonian manatee population estimates presented here represent a baseline for future research, and additional surveys will be needed to understand population fluctuations over time. An evaluation of population viability in Tambococha-Jatuncocha and the Lagarto River would also be required to determine whether these populations will be able to persist over the long term under different deterministic and stochastic scenarios.
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Affiliation(s)
- V Narváez Ruano
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Ecuador Program, Mariana de Jesús E7-248 y La Pradera, Quito 170518, Ecuador
| | - V Utreras B
- Ministerio del Ambiente de Ecuador, Madrid 1159 y Andalucía, Quito 170525, Ecuador
- IUCN SSC Sirenia Specialist Group
| | - G Zapata-Ríos
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Ecuador Program, Mariana de Jesús E7-248 y La Pradera, Quito 170518, Ecuador
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DNA Sequence Analyses Reveal Two New Species of Caloglossa (Delesseriaceae, Rhodophyta) from the Skin of West Indian Manatees. JOURNAL OF MARINE SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/jmse9020163] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Epizoic macroalgae collected from the skin of West Indian manatees included specimens of the red algal family Delesseriaceae. Morphological and rbcL sequence analyses indicated that these specimens represented two novel species of Caloglossa. One species, described here as Caloglossa kamiyana Freshwater, Cath.E. Miller & Frankovich sp. nov., had been previously studied and recognized as part of the C. ogasawaraensis species complex. The rbcL sequence divergence between C. kamiyana and other taxa within the complex ranged from 4.6–5.3%, and tetrasporangial mother cells are cut off from the lateral pericentral cells by oblique divisions instead of transverse divisions as in C. ogasawaraensis. The second species was resolved as a closely related sister species to C. fluviatilis, with a minimum interspecific sequence divergence of 2.0%. It was morphologically indistinguishable from C. fluviatilis except for one potential character—mostly one, instead of multiple rhizoids, developing from rhizoid-bearing pericentral and marginal wing cells. It is herein described as Caloglossa manaticola Freshwater, Cath.E. Miller & Frankovich sp. nov.
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Caballero S, Hollatz C, Rodríguez S, Trujillo F, Baker CS. Population Structure of Riverine and Coastal Dolphins Sotalia fluviatilis and Sotalia guianensis: Patterns of Nuclear and Mitochondrial Diversity and Implications for Conservation. J Hered 2018; 109:757-770. [PMID: 30252072 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esy049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Coastal and freshwater cetaceans are particularly vulnerable due to their proximity to human activity, localized distributions, and small home ranges. These species include Sotalia guianensis, found in the Atlantic and Caribbean coastal areas of central and South America, and Sotalia fluviatilis, distributed in the Amazon River and tributaries. We investigated the population structure and genetic diversity of these 2 species by analyses of mtDNA control region and 8-10 microsatellite loci. MtDNA analyses revealed strong regional structuring for S. guianensis (i.e., Colombian Caribbean vs. Brazilian Coast, FST = 0.807, ΦST = 0.878, P < 0.001) especially north and south of the Amazon River mouth. For S. fluviatilis, population structuring was detected between the western and eastern Amazon (i.e., Colombian Amazon vs. Brazilian Amazon, FST = 0.085, ΦST = 0.277, P < 0.001). Haplotype and nucleotide diversity were higher for S. fluviatilis. Population differentiation was supported by analysis of the microsatellite loci (S. guianensis, northern South America vs. southern South America FST = 0.275, Jost's D = 0.476, P < 0.001; S. fluviatilis, western and eastern Amazon FST = 0.197, Jost's D = 0.364, P < 0.001). Most estimated migration rates in both species overlapped with zero, suggesting no measurable migration between most of the sampling locations. However, for S. guianensis, there was measurable migration in neighboring sampling locations. These results indicate that the small home ranges of these species may act to restrict gene flow between populations separated by relatively short distances, increasing the risk of extirpation of some localized populations in the future if existing threats are not minimized.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susana Caballero
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular de Vertebrados Acuáticos-LEMVA, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - Claudia Hollatz
- CBMA-Centre of Molecular and Environmental Biology, Biology Department, University of Minho, Braga, Portugal
| | - Sebastián Rodríguez
- Laboratorio de Ecología Molecular de Vertebrados Acuáticos-LEMVA, Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad de los Andes, Carrera, Bogotá, Colombia
| | | | - C Scott Baker
- Marine Mammal Institute and Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR
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Barros HMDDR, Meirelles ACO, Luna FO, Marmontel M, Cordeiro-Estrela P, Santos N, Astúa D. Cranial and chromosomal geographic variation in manatees (Mammalia: Sirenia: Trichechidae) with the description of the Antillean manatee karyotype in Brazil. J ZOOL SYST EVOL RES 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jzs.12153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Helen M. D. do R. Barros
- Laboratório de Mastozoologia; Departamento de Zoologia/CB; Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Recife PE Brazil
- Laboratório de Genética e Citogenética Animal; Departamento de Genética/CB; Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Recife PE Brazil
| | - Ana C. O. Meirelles
- Programa de Mamíferos Marinhos; Associação de Pesquisa e Preservação de Ecossistemas Aquáticos; Caucaia CE Brazil
| | - Fábia O. Luna
- Centro Nacional de Pesquisa e Conservação de Mamíferos Aquáticos; Instituto Chico Mendes de Conservação da Biodiversidade; Itamaracá PE Brazil
| | - Miriam Marmontel
- Grupo de Pesquisa em Mamíferos Aquáticos Amazônicos; Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá; Tefé AM Brazil
| | - Pedro Cordeiro-Estrela
- Laboratório de Mamíferos/Coleção de Mamíferos; Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia/CCEN; Universidade Federal da Paraíba; João Pessoa PB Brazil
| | - Neide Santos
- Laboratório de Genética e Citogenética Animal; Departamento de Genética/CB; Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Recife PE Brazil
| | - Diego Astúa
- Laboratório de Mastozoologia; Departamento de Zoologia/CB; Universidade Federal de Pernambuco; Recife PE Brazil
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Fine scale population structure of dugongs (Dugong dugon) implies low gene flow along the southern Queensland coastline. CONSERV GENET 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s10592-014-0624-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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