Red de Biología Evolutiva, Instituto de Ecología A.C, 91070, Xalapa, Veracruz, México.
Posgrado Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 04510, Ciudad de México, México.
Mol Biol Rep. 2020 Jan;47(1):731-736. doi: 10.1007/s11033-019-05165-z. Epub 2019 Nov 6.
The Neotropical otter, Lontra longicaudis, is an ecologically important species for freshwater ecosystems that is threatened due to habitat destruction and hunting. However, there is limited information regarding the population sizes, genetic diversity, genetic structure and gene flow of the species, which is crucial for the elaboration of conservation plans. The aim of this study was to isolate and characterize microsatellites for L. longicaudis, using Illumina paired-end-sequencing. Initial amplification tests were performed in 48 loci, out of which, 13 yielded high-quality PCR products and thus were further evaluated. Genetic diversity and discrimination power of the 13 microsatellite loci was assessed using 19 non-invasive samples collected in the Jamapa basin in Veracruz, Mexico and blood samples from six captive individuals. All loci were polymorphic, the number of alleles per locus ranged from 4 to 10, the observed heterozygosity from 0.21 to 0.69, and the expected heterozygosity from 0.55 to 0.82. The combined set of 13 microsatellites showed a high power for discriminating among individuals (probability of identity P = 1.551 × 10) and among siblings (probability of identity of siblings P = 3.349 × 10). A combination of nine loci are sufficient to discriminate among siblings with high confidence (P < 0.0001). The new set of microsatellites for the Neotropical otter reported here will provide a useful genetic tool to assess population genetic patterns and ecological parameters of the species.
新热带水獭，Lontra longicaudis，是淡水生态系统中具有重要生态意义的物种，由于栖息地破坏和狩猎而受到威胁。然而，关于该物种的种群大小、遗传多样性、遗传结构和基因流动的信息有限，这对于制定保护计划至关重要。本研究的目的是使用 Illumina 配对末端测序法分离和鉴定 L. longicaudis 的微卫星。在 48 个位点进行了初始扩增测试，其中 13 个产生了高质量的 PCR 产物，因此进一步进行了评估。在墨西哥韦拉克鲁斯州的 Jamapa 流域采集的 19 个非侵入性样本和 6 个圈养个体的血液样本中，评估了 13 个微卫星位点的遗传多样性和鉴别能力。所有位点均表现出多态性，每个位点的等位基因数从 4 到 10 不等，观察杂合度从 0.21 到 0.69，预期杂合度从 0.55 到 0.82。这 13 个微卫星位点的组合具有很高的个体间鉴别能力（个体同一性概率 P=1.551×10）和个体间鉴别能力（兄弟姐妹同一性概率 P=3.349×10）。9 个位点的组合足以高度置信地鉴别兄弟姐妹（P<0.0001）。这里报告的新热带水獭的微卫星将为评估该物种的种群遗传模式和生态参数提供有用的遗传工具。
