Studbook and molecular analyses for the endangered black-lion-tamarin; an integrative approach for assessing genetic diversity and driving management in captivity

Abstract

& patrícia Domingues de freitas 1 ✉Breeding strategies based on molecular markers have been adopted by ex-situ conservation programs to assess alternative parameters for the genetic diversity estimates. in this work we evaluated molecular and studbook data for captive populations of black-lion-tamarin (BLt), an endangered primate endemic to Brazil's Atlantic forest. pedigree analyses were performed using BLT studbook information collected from 1973 to 2018. We analyzed the whole captive population since its foundation; the current captive population (ccp); and all extant BLts in the Brazilian captive population (Bcp), separately. Microsatellite analyses were implemented on the Bcp individuals from the eighth generation (BCP-F8) only to avoid generation overlap. The expected heterozygosity for BCP-F8, using molecular, data was 0.45, and the initial expected heterozygosity was 0.69. Kinship parameters showed high genetic relationships in both pedigree and molecular analyses. the genealogybased endogamy evidenced a high inbreeding coefficient, while the molecular analyses suggested a non-inbreeding signature. the Mate Suitability index showed detrimental values for the majority of potential pairs in the ccp. nevertheless, some individuals evidenced high individual heterozygosity and allele representation, demonstrating good potential to be used as breeders. thus, we propose the use of molecular data as a complementary parameter to evaluate mating-pairs and to aid management decision-making.Captive breeding programs have been recognized as a powerful alternative for rescuing endangered species and for biological conservation 1,2 . Often based on pedigree analyses, ex-situ management plans aim to maintain demographically stable populations, retaining genetic diversity, limiting inbreeding, and avoiding adaptation to captivity 1,3-6 . However, this is not an easy task, and consequently captive groups tend to present lower levels of genetic diversity and higher inbreeding rates than expected 2,7 , challenging the success of these captive breeding programs. On the other hand, wild endangered species often present small and fragmented populations subjected to bottleneck effects and absence of gene flow, and low genetic diversity levels are commonly also observed in nature 8,9 . This is the case for the black-lion-tamarin (BLT), Leontopithecus chrysopygus (Callitrichidae, Platyrrhini), an endangered primate inhabiting exclusively the Atlantic Forest of São Paulo state in Southeast Brazil 8,10 .The population size of L. chrysopygus in nature is small 11 , currently estimated at a total of a thousand individuals living in a few small forest fragments 12 . This species was assumed to be extinct about 65 years, when a small population was rediscovered in the Morro do Diabo State Park (SP, Brazil) 13 . At that time, a population census estimated that only about 200 animals existed in nature. In 1973, the first seven wild individuals of two contiguous subgroups of BLT were brought into captivity, at the Biological Bank of Tijuca...

Genetic Diversity and Relatedness among Captive African Painted Dogs in North America

“…Such over-representation of certain individuals and the subsequent loss of genetic diversity is not uncommon in captive breeding programs. It has similarly been recorded in the European population of APD [18], as well as in other species [28,77,78].…”

“…Therefore, as molecular resources and technology have become more readily available and affordable, captive breeding programs are increasingly incorporating genetic evaluations into their management plans. Neutral markers such as microsatellites are most commonly utilized to estimate levels of genetic diversity, inbreeding, and relatedness within a population, as well as to address questions of uncertain parentage or other kinship [18,24,[26][27][28][29]. By gaining a better understanding of the genetic diversity and relatedness of the animals housed at zoological institutions, improved recommendations can be made for pairing animals for breeding, the accuracy of studbook information can be clarified, and ultimately, a global management plan to preserve the species can be developed.…”

Genetic management on the brink of extinction: sequencing microsatellites does not improve estimates of inbreeding in wild and captive Vancouver Island marmots (Marmota vancouverensis)

“…The loss of genetic diversity as a result of captive breeding is a known concern, one that is often followed by the recommendation that molecular markers be incorporated into studbook data (Ivy et al 2009 ; Hogg et al 2019 ; Ayala-Burbano et al 2020 ). The VIM captive population was originally established with individuals from as many colonies as possible and hence we might expect to see limited differences between the wild and captive populations.…”

The necessity of considering founder kinships in conservation breeding programs

“…This also corresponds to intermediate values of the effective size of the source population analyzed in our simulation model (Table 1). Examples of captive populations founded from small in situ populations are numerous, such as the whooping crane Grus americana founded with 88 individuals collected within an in situ population that had suffered a sharp bottleneck (Jones et al ., 2002) or the black‐lion‐tamarin Leontopithecus chrysopygus founded with 35 individuals within an in situ population of about 200 individuals (Ayala‐Burbano et al ., 2020). Founders collected in such populations are unlikely to be unrelated and outbred.…”