Abstract

MARTINEZ, Pablo A; ZURANO, Juan P; MOLINA, Wagner F  and  BIDAU, Claudio J. Applications and implications of phylogeography for canid conservation. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2013, vol.20, n.1, pp.61-74. ISSN 0327-9383.

Phylogeographic studies are currently used to infer historical demographic processes such as gene fow, determination of effective population sizes, colonisation dynamics, and population botlenecks, as well as for the determination of species boundaries and the identification of possible conservation units. We present a review of the main contributions of this approach, and its applications and implications for canid conservation. Studies performed in canids have shown that the number of named subspecies is often larger than that of phylogeographic units. In recent times, the fragmentation of habitats has increased and one of the major concerns of conservation biologists is the occurrence of inbreeding. Large-sized canids have demonstrated to have enough physiological and behavioural plasticity to survive in open habitats, while smaller species that depend on closed habitats are more susceptible to fragmentation. Another process that strongly affects canids is hybridisation because contacts between wild and domestic populations have increased, leading to gene introgression into natural populations. Canids are a key element in food chains; thus, a precise knowledge of intraspecific subdivision is of the utmost relevance for their management before these carnivores disappear, with unknown social, economic, and ecological consequences. In this sense, phylogeographic studies constitute a fundamental tool.

Keywords : Canidae; Conservation units; Genetics; Hybridisation; Inbreeding.

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