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Genetic diversity of Didelphis virginiana related to different levels of disturbance in the Highlands and the Central Depression regions of Chiapas, Mexico

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 March 2016

Bárbara Cruz-Salazar ,
Lorena Ruiz-Montoya ,
Ella Vázquez-Domínguez ,
Darío Navarrete-Gutiérrez ,
Eduardo E. Espinoza-Medinilla  and
Luis-Bernardo Vázquez
Bárbara Cruz-Salazar*
Affiliation:
El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora. San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, C. P. 29200
Lorena Ruiz-Montoya
Affiliation:
El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora. San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, C. P. 29200
Ella Vázquez-Domínguez
Affiliation:
El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora. San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, C. P. 29200
Darío Navarrete-Gutiérrez
Affiliation:
El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora. San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, C. P. 29200
Eduardo E. Espinoza-Medinilla
Affiliation:
El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora. San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, C. P. 29200
Luis-Bernardo Vázquez
Affiliation:
El Colegio de La Frontera Sur, Carretera Panamericana s/n. Barrio de María Auxiliadora. San Cristóbal de Las Casas, Chiapas, México, C. P. 29200
*
1Corresponding author. Email: bcruz@ecosur.edu.mx
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Abstract:

The Virginia opossum (Didelphis virginiana) is considered highly adaptable to anthropogenic disturbances; however, the genetic effects of disturbance on this marsupial have not been studied in wild populations in Mexico. Here we evaluated the genetic diversity of D. virginiana at sites with different levels of disturbance within the Highlands and Central Depression regions of Chiapas in southern Mexico. Twelve microsatellite loci were used and the results demonstrated moderate mean heterozygosity (He = 0.60; Ho = 0.50). No significant differences in heterozygosity were found among sites with different levels of disturbance in both regions (range Ho = 0.42–0.57). We observed low but significant levels of genetic differentiation according to disturbance level. The inbreeding coefficient did not differ significantly from zero, suggesting that low genetic differentiation in these environments may be associated with sufficient random mating and gene flow, a result associated with the high dispersal and tolerance characteristics of this marsupial. Our results for D. virginiana in this particular area of Mexico provide a foundation for exploring the impact of human disturbance on the genetic diversity of a common and generalist species.

Keywords

anthropogenic activitiesgeneralist speciesgenetic structuremarsupialsmicrosatellitesVirginia opossum
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of Tropical Ecology , Volume 32 , Issue 2 , March 2016 , pp. 146 - 157
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2016 

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References

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