RESUMEN
The red brocket deer Mazama americana is a neotropical species that exhibits extensive karyotype variation under an unvarying morphotype. In order to deduce red brocket deer genetic units for conservation, gene flow between populations, and genetic variation, we initiated a cytogenetic and molecular genetic study based on representative samples from throughout their Brazilian geographic range. These data represent the first cytotaxonomical and molecular systematics, and although sample sizes are limited, our results clearly suggest that red brocket deer populations are significantly differentiated with respect to karyotypes and the mitochondrial sequences analyzed. We clearly recognized 2 independent species, and we will be focusing further research in analyzing the meiotic dynamic to determine the existence of other evolutionarily significant units under the red brocket complex.
Asunto(s)
Ciervos/clasificación , Ciervos/genética , Animales , Brasil , Cromosomas de los Mamíferos , Femenino , Cariotipificación , Masculino , FilogeniaRESUMEN
Transferability of microsatellite loci between closely related species has been reported in several species. This helps reduce costs involved with the development of primers for newly investigated species. Fifteen microsatellite primers developed for Rangifer tarandus, Cervus elaphus, C. axis, and Moschus berezovskii were tested on five species of Brazilian brocket deer of the genus Mazama (M. americana, M. bororo, M. gouazoubira, M. nana, and M. nemorivaga). These primers were tested with DNA extracted from blood samples of two individuals of each species obtained from the Núcleo de Pesquisa e Conservação de Cervídeos (NUPECCE) of Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP). Fourteen of the 15 primers tested amplified microsatellite regions of all five species of Mazama, confirmed by sequencing of the amplified fragments. We conclude that these primers could be used for population studies of brocket deer.
