Integrative Phylogeography Reveals Conservation Priorities for the Giant Anteater <i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i> in Brazil
The giant anteater (<i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i>) is a strictly myrmecophagous xenarthran species that ranges from Honduras to northern Argentina, occupying various habitats, from grassland and floodplains to forests. According to the IUCN, it is a vulnerable species mainly threatened...
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MDPI AG
2022-07-01
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| author | Raphael T. F. Coimbra Rafael F. Magalhães Priscila Lemes Flávia R. Miranda Fabrício R. Santos |
| author_facet | Raphael T. F. Coimbra Rafael F. Magalhães Priscila Lemes Flávia R. Miranda Fabrício R. Santos |
| author_sort | Raphael T. F. Coimbra |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The giant anteater (<i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i>) is a strictly myrmecophagous xenarthran species that ranges from Honduras to northern Argentina, occupying various habitats, from grassland and floodplains to forests. According to the IUCN, it is a vulnerable species mainly threatened by poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, and road kills. Here, we investigate the phylogeography, distribution, ecology, and historical demography of Brazilian populations of the giant anteater. We analysed two mitochondrial (mtDNA) and three nuclear (nDNA) markers in 106 individuals from the Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest, and Amazon Forest biomes through analyses of population structure and demography, phylogeography, and ecological niche modelling. Two divergent mtDNA clusters were found, one in the Amazon (AM) and another in the Cerrado, Pantanal, and Atlantic Forest biomes (CEPTAF). At the population level, CEPTAF presented higher mtDNA haplotype richness than AM and a unidirectional mtDNA gene flow was identified from AM to CEPTAF, which could be linked to more favourable habitat conditions for the species in Cerrado and Pantanal. Paleodemographic reconstructions with mtDNA and nDNA data indicate a large population expansion of the species starting at the end of the Pleistocene. Finally, the integrative phylogeographic analyses of giant anteater populations reinforce the importance of the Brazilian Cerrado as a priority biome for the species’ conservation. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:20:22Z |
| format | Article |
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| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T10:20:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-07-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-73c66123d8a740e9afe168dc761f3b6e2023-12-01T22:03:46ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182022-07-0114754210.3390/d14070542Integrative Phylogeography Reveals Conservation Priorities for the Giant Anteater <i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i> in BrazilRaphael T. F. Coimbra0Rafael F. Magalhães1Priscila Lemes2Flávia R. Miranda3Fabrício R. Santos4Programa de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, BrazilDepartamento de Ciências Naturais, Campus Dom Bosco, Universidade Federal de São João del-Rei, São João del-Rei 36301-160, MG, BrazilLaboratório de Ecologia e Biogeografia da Conservação, Departamento de Botânica e Ecologia, Instituto de Biociências, Universidade Federal do Mato Grosso, Cuiabá 78068-600, MT, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Zoologia, Departamento de Zoologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, BrazilPrograma de Pós-Graduação em Genética, Departamento de Genética, Ecologia e Evolução, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte 31270-901, MG, BrazilThe giant anteater (<i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i>) is a strictly myrmecophagous xenarthran species that ranges from Honduras to northern Argentina, occupying various habitats, from grassland and floodplains to forests. According to the IUCN, it is a vulnerable species mainly threatened by poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, and road kills. Here, we investigate the phylogeography, distribution, ecology, and historical demography of Brazilian populations of the giant anteater. We analysed two mitochondrial (mtDNA) and three nuclear (nDNA) markers in 106 individuals from the Cerrado, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest, and Amazon Forest biomes through analyses of population structure and demography, phylogeography, and ecological niche modelling. Two divergent mtDNA clusters were found, one in the Amazon (AM) and another in the Cerrado, Pantanal, and Atlantic Forest biomes (CEPTAF). At the population level, CEPTAF presented higher mtDNA haplotype richness than AM and a unidirectional mtDNA gene flow was identified from AM to CEPTAF, which could be linked to more favourable habitat conditions for the species in Cerrado and Pantanal. Paleodemographic reconstructions with mtDNA and nDNA data indicate a large population expansion of the species starting at the end of the Pleistocene. Finally, the integrative phylogeographic analyses of giant anteater populations reinforce the importance of the Brazilian Cerrado as a priority biome for the species’ conservation.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/7/542Cerradoconservation geneticsensemble forecastingpopulation expansionpopulation structureXenarthra |
| spellingShingle | Raphael T. F. Coimbra Rafael F. Magalhães Priscila Lemes Flávia R. Miranda Fabrício R. Santos Integrative Phylogeography Reveals Conservation Priorities for the Giant Anteater <i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i> in Brazil Diversity Cerrado conservation genetics ensemble forecasting population expansion population structure Xenarthra |
| title | Integrative Phylogeography Reveals Conservation Priorities for the Giant Anteater <i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i> in Brazil |
| title_full | Integrative Phylogeography Reveals Conservation Priorities for the Giant Anteater <i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i> in Brazil |
| title_fullStr | Integrative Phylogeography Reveals Conservation Priorities for the Giant Anteater <i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i> in Brazil |
| title_full_unstemmed | Integrative Phylogeography Reveals Conservation Priorities for the Giant Anteater <i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i> in Brazil |
| title_short | Integrative Phylogeography Reveals Conservation Priorities for the Giant Anteater <i>Myrmecophaga tridactyla</i> in Brazil |
| title_sort | integrative phylogeography reveals conservation priorities for the giant anteater i myrmecophaga tridactyla i in brazil |
| topic | Cerrado conservation genetics ensemble forecasting population expansion population structure Xenarthra |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/14/7/542 |
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