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Evidence of two genetic clusters of manatees with low genetic diversity in Mexico and implications for their conservation

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Abstract

The Antillean manatee (Trichechus manatus manatus) occupies the tropical coastal waters of the Greater Antilles and Caribbean, extending from Mexico along Central and South America to Brazil. Historically, manatees were abundant in Mexico, but hunting during the pre-Columbian period, the Spanish colonization and throughout the history of Mexico, has resulted in the significantly reduced population occupying Mexico today. The genetic structure, using microsatellites, shows the presence of two populations in Mexico: the Gulf of Mexico (GMx) and Chetumal Bay (ChB) on the Caribbean coast, with a zone of admixture in between. Both populations show low genetic diversity (GMx: NA = 2.69; HE = 0.41 and ChB: NA = 3.0; HE = 0.46). The lower genetic diversity found in the GMx, the largest manatee population in Mexico, is probably due to a combination of a founder effect, as this is the northern range of the sub-species of T. m. manatus, and a bottleneck event. The greater genetic diversity observed along the Caribbean coast, which also has the smallest estimated number of individuals, is possibly due to manatees that come from the GMx and Belize. There is evidence to support limited or unidirectional gene flow between these two important areas. The analyses presented here also suggest minimal evidence of a handful of individual migrants possibly between Florida and Mexico. To address management issues we suggest considering two distinct genetic populations in Mexico, one along the Caribbean coast and one in the riverine systems connected to the GMx.

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Acknowledgments

This study is part of the doctoral dissertation research of the first author (CN), who was funded by a grant from the Secretaria de Relaciones Exteriores de México and by the Ministère des Affaires Etrangères Française—EGIDE. Financial support for training in Florida was provided by the Marine Mammal Commission. The project was funded by SEMARNAT/CONACYT (Project 2002-C01-1128) and Dolphin Discovery for manatee captures and genetic analysis, as well as the US Geological Survey-Sirenia Project for genetic analysis. Mexican Government Research Permits and sample collection authorizations were obtained from DGVS # 03144; 04513; 03670 and 03675. Samples were collected under scientific collection permits NUM/SGPA/DGVS/03144, NUM/SGPA/DGVS/04513, NUM/SGPA/DGVS/03670/06, SGPA/DGVS/04060/06; SGPA/DGVS/01103/07, SEDUM/SSMA/DGPPE/0191/2004 and RBSK OFICIO CUN 037/04. Samples were transported to the research laboratories in the US under CITES export permits MX22523, MX24463, MX28578, MX26485, MX38416, MX34645, MX31591 and CITES import permits 06US808447/9 and 07US808447/9. Samples were processed in Florida under authority of USFWS wildlife research permit MA791721 issued to the USGS Sirenia Project. All sample collection was done under approval of IACUC standards. Samples from the Gulf of Mexico area came from various projects and facilities: Dolphin Discovery, Veracruz Aquarium, Xcaret, ViaDelphi and Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco. We thank Dr. Margaret Hunter of the USGS Southeast Ecological Science Center for advice and help in the laboratory with various software packages. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the US Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. El Colegio de la Frontera Sur, Av. Centenario Km 5.5, 77000, Chetumal, Quintana Roo, Mexico

    Coralie Nourisson, Benjamín Morales-Vela & Janneth Padilla-Saldívar

  2. Department of Natural Sciences, College of Coastal Georgia, 3700 Altama Avenue, Brunswick, GA, 31520, USA

    Kimberly Pause Tucker

  3. ICBR Genetic Analysis Laboratory, University of Florida, 2033 Mowry Road, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA

    AnnMarie Clark

  4. Division Academica de Ciencias Biologicas, Universidad Juarez Autonoma de Tabasco, Km. 0.5 carretera Villahermosa-Cárdenas, 86039, Villahermosa, Tabasco, Mexico

    Leon David Olivera-Gómez

  5. US Geological Survey, 2201 NW 40th Terrace, Gainesville, FL, 32605, USA

    Robert Bonde

  6. University of Florida, 2015 SW 16th Ave, Gainesville, FL, 32610, USA

    Peter McGuire

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  1. Coralie Nourisson
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  2. Benjamín Morales-Vela
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Correspondence to Coralie Nourisson.

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Nourisson, C., Morales-Vela, B., Padilla-Saldívar, J. et al. Evidence of two genetic clusters of manatees with low genetic diversity in Mexico and implications for their conservation. Genetica 139, 833–842 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-011-9583-z

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