Demographic, genetic and sanitary evaluation of the white-lipped peccary (Tayassu peccary), a keystone and threatened species, in two of the last areas where it still occurs in the Atlantic Forest

Abstract

White-lipped peccaries (Tayassu pecari) are essential for the regeneration of neotropical forests. They live in herds of tens to hundreds of individuals and create unique disturbance patterns in terms of scale and intensity. They are highly vulnerable to poaching and fragmentation and very few populations of white-lipped peccaries remain in the Atlantic forest. Of the remaining populations, very little is known about their demographic, genetic and sanitary status. In the present study, we will sample two remaining populations of white-lipped peccaries in the Atlantic Forest (Parque Estadual Ilha do Cardoso e Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar - Núcleo Santa Virgínia), aiming to answer the following questions: (1) What is the population size (of census and effective) and the density in each area? (2) Are the two populations genetically differentiated? If so, is the differentiation historical or recent? (3) What is the degree of genetic diversity of each of the two populations studied? (4) Have these populations undergone recent population bottlenecks? (5) Is there significant evidence of inbreeding for these populations? (6) What are the pathogens presented in the studied populations and their prevalence? We will use modern techniques of molecular biology to estimate population size and density, and genetic diversity; and serological, molecular and epidemiological diagnostic techniques for evaluation of the health risk. The present study will allow a better understanding of the status of a keystone and critically endangered species in one of the last protected and extensive areas of the Atlantic forest where the species still occurs, providing important data for its conservation. (AU)