Reading the Signs: Techniques of Conservation Genetics Applied to Bobcats (LYNX RUFUS) and Pumas (PUMA CONCOLOR)

Date of Award

2009

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Natural Sciences

First Advisor

Gilchrist, Sandra

Keywords

DNA Sequencing, Bobcats, Puma, Lynx, Genetics, Phylogeny, Wildlife Conservation, Population Census

Area of Concentration

Biology

Abstract

Species determination of the origin of scats is a useful technique in the field of carnivore conservation and monitoring. Because most felids are cryptic and dangerous to study, methods of non-invasive monitoring are commonly used. Better, more standardized methods of species determination of scats could vastly improve conservation efforts for these animals. This pilot study examines the new universal primer and sequencing technique by applying it to scat samples from five pumas and five bobcats. An identification success rate of 80% was obtained for pumas and 75% for bobcats. Nucleotide BLAST alignments were created for each successfully sequenced sample, and the resulting sequences were ranked in terms of their similarity to the target sequences. Phylogenetic relationships of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene are explored in relation to the sequencing results. Other techniques such as AFLP, species-specific primers, and microsatellite analysis are also qualitatively examined. Finally, methodological recommendations for further research are presented to help standardize molecular scatology techniques.

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