Diversidade genética em populações de bugios-de-mãos-ruivas (Alouatta belzebul) na área de inundação da usina hidrelétrica de Belo Monte

Abstract

The red-handed howler (Alouatta belzebul) is an endemic primate in Brazil, with a disjunct distribution in the Northern and the Northeastern Atlantic Forest of Brazil. According to the IUCN Red List, A. belzebul is classified as vulnerable, given the significant reduction in its population over the past 30 years. Damming for the construction of hydroelectric plants is the activity that represents the greatest anthropic threat to the species indeed. In this way, the recent implantation of the Belo Monte Hydroelectric Plant (UHBM), whose flooding zone covers the municipalities of Vitória do Xingu and Altamira, in the southwest of the state of Pará, where A. belzebul occurs, represents a potential threat to the species, likely leading to the isolation of populations and the consequent reduction of genetic diversity in the long term. Thus, the present project has as its main objective to characterize the patterns of distribution of the genetic diversity and the structure of A. belzebul from the Vitória do Xingu (PA) for populations rescued during the construction of the UHBM. For that, we used Genotyping by Sequencing (GBS) and the mitochondrial control region Dloop analyses, aiming to generate useful data for future monitoring and management plans. The present results indicate the existence of two distinct lineages of Alouatta in the study area, and not only one as initially assumed, which are geographically delimited by the river flow. A high level of genetic diversity was also identified. The data obtained by this study are especially relevant for the understanding on the group diversification and for elaborating adequate management plans for these populations, in order to avoid the admixture of distinct evolutive lineages or the separation of individuals of the same unity, which could diminish population size and alternatively increase inbreeding, consequently reducing genetic diversity and fitness over time.