Abstract

MALERBA, Martina S et al. Genetic variation of wild American mink (Neovison vison) in the Province of Santa Cruz:  Is the genetic paradox of invasive species met?. Mastozool. neotrop. [online]. 2018, vol.25, n.2, pp.319-328. ISSN 0327-9383.

Alien species represent a threat to native biodiversity. The success of invasive species despite their reduced genetic diversity is known as “the genetic paradox”. The American mink (Neovison vison) was introduced in several regions of the world, like Europe, Asia and South America. In Argentina, they were introduced in the 1930’s by the fur industry and wild populations were established in Patagonia due to liberations and escapes. In this study, we analyzed the genetic diversity of a wild American mink population of northern Santa Cruz province and compared it with a captive population. We sequenced a 359-bp fragment of the mtDNA control region and found that genetic variability was similar between both groups. Like in other wild invasive populations, genetic variability was not reduced in the population of Santa Cruz, probably as a consequence of frequent releases and escapes from different sources of captive minks.

Keywords : Biodiversity; Haplotype diversity; Nucleotide diversity; Patagonia; Population genetics.

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