MitochondrialDNAanalysis reveals hidden genetic diversity in captive populations of the threatened American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) in Colombia

Abstract

Identification of units within species worthy of separate management consideration is an important area within conservation. Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) surveys can potentially contribute to this by identifying phylogenetic and population structure below the species level. The American crocodile (Crocodylus acutus) is broadly distributed throughout the Neotropics. Its numbers have been reduced severely with the species threatened throughout much of its distribution. In Colombia, the release of individuals from commercial captive populations has emerged as a possible conservation strategy that could contribute to species recovery. However, no studies have addressed levels of genetic differentiation or diversity within C. acutus in Colombia, thus complicating conservation and management decisions. Here, sequence variation was studied in mtDNA cytochrome b and cytochrome oxidase I gene sequences in three Colombian captive populations of C. acutus. Two distinct lineages were identified: C. acutus-I, corresponding to haplotypes from Colombia and closely related Central American haplotypes; and C. acutus-II, corresponding to all remaining haplotypes from Colombia. Comparison with findings from other studies indicates the presence of a single “northern” lineage (corresponding to C. acutus-I) distributed from North America (southern Florida), through Central America and into northern South America. The absence of C. acutus-II haplotypes from North and Central America indicates that the C. acutus-II lineage probably represents a separate South American lineage. There appears to be sufficient divergence between lineages to suggest that they could represent two distinct evolutionary units. We suggest that this differentiation needs to be recognized for conservation purposes because it clearly contributes to the overall genetic diversity of the species. All Colombian captive populations included in this study contained a mixture of representatives of both lineages. As such, we recommend against the use of captive-bred individuals for conservation strategies until further genetic information is available.

Mitochondrial DNA analysis reveals extremely low genetic diversity in a managed population of the Critically Endangered Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus, Gmelin, 1789)

“…The study reveals that the variability in the 1,806 bp of mtDNA analysed here is low. The low level of variation in the mtDNA sequences is concordant with reports of low levels of mtDNA variation reported in other crocodilian species (Bloor et al, 2015;Glen et al, 2002;Luck et al, 2012;Posso-Pelaez et al, 2018;Ray et al, 2004). However, the homogeneity of the hypervariable control region is unusual.…”

Evidence of cryptic lineages within a small South American crocodilian: the Schneider’s dwarf caimanPaleosuchus trigonatus(Alligatoridae: Caimaninae)

“…The surviving species would then diversify although this may not necessarily be evident in the morphology of these groups ( Oaks, 2011 ; Shirley et al, 2014 ; Muniz et al, 2018 ). This pattern is increasingly evident in phylogenetic analyses using molecular markers ( Venegas-Anaya et al, 2008 ; Eaton et al, 2009 ; Hekkala et al, 2011 ; Shirley et al., 2014 ; Bloor, Ibáñez & Viloria-Lagares, 2015 ; Milián-García et al, 2017 ; Muniz et al, 2018 ).…”

Merging and comparing three mitochondrial markers for phylogenetic studies of Eurasian reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)

“…Reindeer, as well as other Holarctic species, may be threatened by climate change and other anthropological impacts, and therefore, clear identification of phylogenetic structure below the species level is important in order to protect genetic variation (Vogler and Desalle ; Bloor et al. ). Here, we test the phylogenetic performance of three mitochondrial markers, merged and separately, using Eurasian reindeer as a model species.…”