Filogeografia e história populacional de Lycalopex vetulus (Carnivora, Canidae), incluindo sua hibridação com L. gymnocercus

Abstract

The hoary fox (Lycalopex vetulus) is the smallest Brazilian canid and an endemic species of the Cerrado biome, including adjacent transitional areas harboring open habitats. Recent studies reported some evidence suggesting a potential hybridization process between L. vetulus and L. gymnocercus in a contact zone that has likely been formed recently. Using microsatellite and mtDNA markers, we investigated the influence of historical processes on the population structure of L. vetulus, as well as the occurrence of hybridization between this species and L. gymnocercus. For these purposes, tissue and blood samples from animals representing most of the hoary fox distribution were obtained (n = 61), as well as from L. gymnocercus (n = 30) sampled in their contact zone and adjacent areas. Our results showed high levels of genetic diversity for L. vetulus (haplotype diversity: Hd = 0.98 and expected heterozygosity: He = 0.81) and different population scenarios with each of the molecular marker types, suggesting male-mediated gene flow. We also observed a south-north partition, with no haplotype sharing between these regions. This pattern is similar to the one observed in a sympatric canid (Cerdocyon thous) and in various other Atlantic Forest vertebrates, raising the hypothesis that species occurring in open habitats may undergo equivalent vicariant processes. Six individuals caught in the contact zone showed signs of mixing with L. gymnocercus in the composition of their microsatellite genotypes, five of which presenting introgressed mtDNA haplotypes from the same species. These results support the inference of hybridization between these canids, likely induced by anthropogenic effects (i.e. deforestation in the Atlantic Forest). Our study illustrates how the fragmentation and alteration of natural habitats can play an important role in the genetic composition of wild populations, and should provide useful data for the design of conservation strategies on behalf of both species.