Estrutura populacional de Athene cunicularia (Strigiformes: Strigidae) em áreas antropizados do cerrado paulista
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Data
2021-09-10
Autores
Thomazini, Thaís Coelho
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Editor
Universidade Estadual Paulista (Unesp)
Resumo
Os processos antrópicos comumente interferem no modo como as comunidades de espécies locais se estabelecem no ambiente, em especial o processo de urbanização, que tende a modificar o uso da terra de forma mais duradoura. Curiosamente algumas espécies como a coruja-buraqueira, Athene cunicularia (Strigiformes: Strigidae), apresentam características que as permitem ter êxito em ocupar áreas urbanas, entretanto, esta capacidade de ocupação não significa que elas não possam ser negativamente afetadas pela urbanização. Sabendo que a variabilidade genética é de extrema importância para que as populações mantenham sua capacidade de adaptação frente às mudanças ambientais, investigar o nível de estruturação e diversidade genética contida nas populações tem demonstrado ser uma excelente ferramenta de estudo na compreensão das respostas adaptativas das espécies. Desta forma, foi investigada a estrutura e diversidade genética presente em quatro populações de corujas-buraqueiras em áreas antropizadas de cerrado no interior Paulista, utilizando sete marcadores microssatélites espécie-específicos, cujo caráter codominante e alta reprodutibilidade, faz com que sejam marcadores moleculares ideais para estudos genético-populacionais. Faz-se importante ressaltar que até o momento não há registros de estudos com A. cunicularia no Brasil do ponto de vista genético, sendo este então pioneiro. Os resultados da análise genotípica de diversidade genética, juntamente com as informações sobre a distribuição desta diversidade, indicam que as populações de A. cunicularia analisadas possuem considerável diferenciação genética e que esta se relaciona positivamente com a distância geográfica dos indivíduos. Esta diferenciação genética se deve pela presença de alelos raros e exclusivos nas populações, resultado do processo de isolamento por distância ocasionado pela redução de fluxo gênico que, ao que tudo indica, ocorre devido à seleção de habitat e comportamento de nidificação da espécie. O desvio no Equilíbrio Hardy-Weinberg pelo excesso de homozigotos é característico do Efeito Whalund, o que juntamente com os dados de estruturação populacional sugere que as quatro populações analisadas se tratam na verdade de metapopulações, nas quais é possível identificar uma ancestralidade constituída por seis unidades genéticas no passado evolutivo de A. cunicularia e ainda presente nas quatro localidades amostradas.
Anthropogenic processes commonly interfere in the way communities of local species establish themselves in the environment, especially the urbanization process, which tends to modify land use in a more lasting way. Interestingly, some species such as the burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia (Strigiformes: Strigidae), have characteristics that allow them to be successful in occupying urban areas, however, this occupation capacity does not mean that they cannot be negatively affected by urbanization. Knowing that genetic variability is extremely important for populations to maintain their adaptive capacity to environmental changes, investigating the level of structuring and genetic diversity contained in populations has proven to be an excellent study tool in understanding the adaptive responses of species. Thus, the genetic structure and diversity present in four populations of burrowing owls in anthropized areas of cerrado in the interior of São Paulo was investigated, using seven species-specific microsatellite markers, whose codominant character and high reproducibility make them ideal molecular markers for genetic-population studies. It is important to emphasize that until then there are no studies with A. cunicularia in Brazil from a genetic point of view, which was then a pioneer. The results of the genotypic analysis of genetic diversity, together with information about the distribution of this diversity, indicate that the populations of A. cunicularia analyzed have considerable genetic differentiation and that this is positively related to the geographic distance of individuals. This genetic differentiation is due to the presence of rare and exclusive alleles in populations, a result of the isolation process by distance caused by the reduction of gene flow which, it seems, occurs due to the selection of habitat and the nesting behavior of the species. The deviation in the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium due to the excess of homozygotes is characteristic of the Whalund Effect, which, together with the population structure data, suggests that the four populations analyzed are metapopulations, in which it is possible to identify an ancestry consisting of six genetics units in the evolutionary past of A. cunicularia and still present in the four sampled localities.
Anthropogenic processes commonly interfere in the way communities of local species establish themselves in the environment, especially the urbanization process, which tends to modify land use in a more lasting way. Interestingly, some species such as the burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia (Strigiformes: Strigidae), have characteristics that allow them to be successful in occupying urban areas, however, this occupation capacity does not mean that they cannot be negatively affected by urbanization. Knowing that genetic variability is extremely important for populations to maintain their adaptive capacity to environmental changes, investigating the level of structuring and genetic diversity contained in populations has proven to be an excellent study tool in understanding the adaptive responses of species. Thus, the genetic structure and diversity present in four populations of burrowing owls in anthropized areas of cerrado in the interior of São Paulo was investigated, using seven species-specific microsatellite markers, whose codominant character and high reproducibility make them ideal molecular markers for genetic-population studies. It is important to emphasize that until then there are no studies with A. cunicularia in Brazil from a genetic point of view, which was then a pioneer. The results of the genotypic analysis of genetic diversity, together with information about the distribution of this diversity, indicate that the populations of A. cunicularia analyzed have considerable genetic differentiation and that this is positively related to the geographic distance of individuals. This genetic differentiation is due to the presence of rare and exclusive alleles in populations, a result of the isolation process by distance caused by the reduction of gene flow which, it seems, occurs due to the selection of habitat and the nesting behavior of the species. The deviation in the Hardy-Weinberg Equilibrium due to the excess of homozygotes is characteristic of the Whalund Effect, which, together with the population structure data, suggests that the four populations analyzed are metapopulations, in which it is possible to identify an ancestry consisting of six genetics units in the evolutionary past of A. cunicularia and still present in the four sampled localities.
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Palavras-chave
Genética de populações, Coruja-buraqueira, Microssatélites, Diversidade genética, Population genetics, Burrowing owl, Microsatellites, Genetical diversity