An Initial Genetic Assessment of the Emblematic Pumas of the Torres del Paine UNESCO Biosphere Reserve

Abstract

Physical and genetic isolation are recognized as significant threats to wildlife, especially in large carnivores inhabiting fragmented landscapes. We conducted an initial genetic assessment of pumas (Puma concolor) using 19 microsatellite loci for the emblematic puma population in the Torres del Paine UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in southernmost Chile, which exhibits some distinctive phenology that some local people speculate may be due to isolation and inbreeding depression. We extracted DNA from 385 scats collected in the field, of which 96 were identified as puma, representing 20 unique individuals. Torres del Paine pumas exhibited an Ho (0.51) only slightly lower than He (0.53), with 2 of the 19 loci significantly out of Hardy–Weinberg Equilibrium. Tests for a recent bottleneck of the population were not significant. The small sample size of individuals notwithstanding, these results seemingly do not support high levels of inbreeding. We also identified individual pumas in the field and assessed them for observable cowlicks (twirls of fur on their backs), a trait some have associated with genetic inbreeding depression in other puma populations. A total of 7 of 39 pumas exhibited cowlicks, consistent with geographic patterns of cowlicks within the species. Our tests exploring population structure among local pumas provided the most support for a single-population cluster, but we explored secondary structures as well, given its conservation implications. We encourage additional sampling in the region to further explore population structure and connectivity and determine the conservation status of the region’s pumas to guide the development of best strategies to ensure their persistence.