A Lontra Neotropical (Lontra longicaudis) no Nordeste brasileiro: distribuição, uso do habitat e diversidade genética

Abstract

The geographic distribution of a species is an essential information for conservation planning. This information, however, is often biased towards some regions or taxonomic groups, according to accessibility of sampling sites and natural history of the species studied. The neotropical otter [Lontra longicaudis (Olfers, 1818)] is a little studied species because of its elusive behaviour, which results in low detectability in natural environments. This situation is worse in Northeastern Brazil, which for a long time appeared as a gap in L. longicaudis distribution maps, and is currently appointed as a priority region for studies with the species. This project aimed to understand how L. longicaudis is distributed in Northeastern Brazil and the structuring factors of its distribution, habitat use and genetic diversity. This was the first dedicated otter survey in the region, conducted systematically during field campaigns to 17 river basins of Northeastern Brazil, in the area North of São Francisco River, between the states of Alagoas and Piauí. Each river basin was sampled at three stretches (lower, middle and upper courses), over approximately 5 km, repeatedly for four days each, looking for evidences of the species presence. The overall sample effort was 726 km in 45 sampled river stretches. In the first chapter we discuss L. longicaudis occurrence in Caatinga, a semi-arid biome where a single record of the species occurrence was reported in the literature, and which has not been considered as part of its distribution in conservation planning and strategies. We report historical and current new occurrence records of L. longicaudis in Caatinga, discuss factors that may be influencing its occurrence in the region, and propose updating the species distribution map, based on the confirmation of a real gap in its current distribution. In the second chapter we analyze environmental, climatic and anthropic factors influencing otter occupancy, detection and habitat use on river basins of Northeastern Brazil. Detection probability of otters' signs was high and negatively influenced by river order, a variable related to the location of the river stretch in the drainage network. Precipitation seasonality was the main determinant of L. longicaudis occupancy in the region, which is concentrated in the subregion of river basins draining to the East, with lower precipitation seasonality. This climatic variable was also important to explain occurrence and habitat use of the species, which was more intense in areas of lower seasonality, corresponding to the Atlantic forest. Northeastern Atlantic Forest is the least conserved portion of this biome. In this region, otters used more rivers with lower water catchment area upstream, which corresponds to smaller tributaries, providers of better environmental conditions to serve as refuge for the species than main rivers. Even using these refuges, the intensity of habitat use was negatively correlated with the percentage of natural remnants, an indirect consequence of the degradation status of the most frequently used areas by the species, placing L. longicaudis at risk in the region. In order to understand how the Northeastern Brazil otter population is structured and to provide subsidies to its long-term persistence, in the third chapter we analyze the species genetic diversity and gene flow through mitochondrial DNA and analyzing five alternative dispersal scenarios. A total of 36 noninvasive samples (fresh faeces, mucus and tissue), from eight river basins, were analyzed. Within these samples, 17 amplified the three mitochondrial DNA segments analyzed, and were considered distinct individuals according to the sampling locality and the genetic composition. These individuals are representatives of seven haplotypes, from which four were identified for the first time in this study. Estimates of genetic variability indicate high haplotype diversity and low nucleotide variability. The greatest genetic differentiation among samples were observed in two samples from Piauí, north from the Caatinga area were the species absence was confirmed in this study, confirming the climatic barrier through which gene flow might have been interrupted for a long time. The Northeastern otter population showed a significant genetic difference compared to Amazonia and East of South America groups. The "higher land dispersal cost" scenario was the most correlated with the observed genetic differentiation among sampled individuals, indicating that the species is able to disperse by land, but only in extreme situations. Genetic divergence between coastal river basins showed a strong relationship with geographical distances (Euclidian and watershed distances), which may be the result of a more homogeneous region, subject to flooding, where landscape imposes lower resistance to dispersal by semi-aquatic animals. The least cost path analyzes indicate the São Francisco River as an important dispersal route connecting coastal river basins of Northeastern Brazil with basins located North from the Caatinga, which highlights the importance of São Francisco river basin conservation for the maintenance of the genetic diversity in this region. The three objectives of this study fill an important knowledge gap on Neotropical otter in Northeastern Brazil, one of the driest regions of its distribution, attending to priority actions of the national action plan for the species conservation.