O uso da amostragem não invasiva para Tayassuidae: da coleta de amostras biológicas à genética de populações

Abstract

The rapid advance of anthropogenic activities, resulting in the accelerated conversion of natural habitats, represents a significant threat to global biodiversity. This impact affects species, including large herbivores, whose habitat loss and fragmentation lead to population declines and local or global extinctions. Due to their large size, ungulates are crucial for conservation strategies such as “umbrella species”. White-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) and collared peccaries (Dicotyles tajacu), belonging to the Tayassuidae family, are important subjects of study objects due to their vulnerability and overexploitation. Understanding their genetic diversity is crucial, especially when considering the use of non-invasive samples for genetic analysis. This thesis is structured in two chapters. The first evaluates the efficiency of hair traps and active search as methods of collecting hair of peccaries, and it highlights the advantages and challenges of both methods. The second chapter assesses the feasibility of using hair for genetic studies of peccary species, and it also discusses the challenges in obtaining good-quality DNA from the hair samples. The results indicate significant differences in the effectiveness of capture methods for the two species, with hair traps being more effective for white-lipped peccaries and active search for collared peccaries. Despite the high number of hairs collected and greater amplification success, we found no consensus genotypes for collared peccaries. On the other hand, four genetic markers proved promising for white-lipped peccaries, allowing preliminary analysis of their genetic diversity. Finally, this study recommends both non-invasive sampling methods for Tayassuidae and the use of hairs for genetic analysis. We also encourage further studies to improve collection techniques and molecular biology, which are essential for the conservation of both species.