Abstract
Abstract: The Orinoco Goose (Neochen jubata) is a few-known and endemic Anatidae to South America, inhabiting sandy beaches along medium and large rivers, with a well-developed riparian forest and in swamp savannas and large freshwater baths. Recent data indicate the presence of longitudinal migratory behavior, and despite them, there are no records on the genetic profile of this species. The Araguaia River region, in the municipality of Luiz Alves, Goiás, receives an undetermined number of ducks seasonally, and there is little information about the individuals who visit this place, constituting the ideal scenario for a study able to offer a genetic overview perspective of this species and to understand the relationship between these individuals better. For this, we genetically characterized 61 individuals sampled in three distinct years of collection using microsatellite molecular markers and mitochondrial DNA. Genetic diversity analyses revealed low levels of heterozygosity for all sampled groups. However, they are within the equilibrium proposed by Hardy-Weinberg (HWE), as inbreeding or drift are not acting in these groups. The parentage analysis supports it, showing a high number of unrelated individuals over the years. AMOVA showed a significant difference among groups. These results may reflect the structure of this migratory species in that region, with the paired differentiation test of individuals from 2013 and 2014 being more similar to each other than those from other years, indicating a possible genetic structure diagnosed by the years of capture. However, there is a high allelic sharing among the three sampled groups, suggesting that these individuals are a population that connects over time and that they have a philopatric relationship with the location. The results found in this study constitute an initial milestone for the genetic knowledge of the mallard duck that should be raised in many other genetic studies.
Highlights
The Orinoco Goose (Neochen jubata (Spix 1825)) is one of the lesser-known species of waterfowl endemic to South America inhabiting sandy beaches, along rivers, savannas, and wetlands (Carboneras 1992, Sick 2001, Endo et al 2014); in Brazil, it occupies the basis of the Amazon River (Luna et al 2008, Endo et al 2014) and Araguaia River (Pinheiro & Dornas 2009)
The existence of longitudinal migratory behavior in Orinoco Goose between southern Peru and northern Bolivia was recently described (Davenport et al 2012), and there are reports of a seasonal occurrence of Orinoco Goose in the Juruá River, Amazon basis, suggesting that this population migrates to other regions during the rainy season due to restrictions imposed by the seasonal flood regime and that the dynamics of rivers determine the use of habitat in this species. (Endo et al 2014)
This work is a pioneer in investigating the distribution of genetic variability in individuals of N. jubata, so the objective of this study is to genetically characterize the individuals sampled in three different years using microsatellite DNA loci and mitochondrial DNA as molecular markers, offering a genetic panorama that is still non-existent for N. jubata and better comprehension about the relationship among these individuals
Summary
The Orinoco Goose (Neochen jubata (Spix 1825)) is one of the lesser-known species of waterfowl endemic to South America inhabiting sandy beaches, along rivers, savannas, and wetlands (Carboneras 1992, Sick 2001, Endo et al 2014); in Brazil, it occupies the basis of the Amazon River (Luna et al 2008, Endo et al 2014) and Araguaia River (Pinheiro & Dornas 2009). It is estimated that Amazon’s population is smaller and more fragmented than in the Araguaia River basin, which acts as a remnant stronghold of this species (Endo et al 2014). The existence of longitudinal migratory behavior in Orinoco Goose between southern Peru and northern Bolivia was recently described (Davenport et al 2012), and there are reports of a seasonal occurrence of Orinoco Goose in the Juruá River, Amazon basis, suggesting that this population migrates to other regions during the rainy season due to restrictions imposed by the seasonal flood regime and that the dynamics of rivers determine the use of habitat in this species. The district of Luiz Alves, Goiás, region of the Araguaia River, receives an indeterminate number of Orinoco Goose seasonally; little is known about these individuals who visit this area, whether they are the same population with related animals or only birds that converge annually to this region. An excellent comprehension of the migratory behavior of animals is essential to consider conservation strategies, and ecological and genetic studies from populations are necessary (Kirby et al 2008)
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