Vol. 93, No. 6, pp. 1409–1572 pp. 6, No. 93, Vol. Journal of Mammalogy Volume 93 Number 6 December 2012 JOURNAL OF MAMMALOGY DECEMBER 2012 www.mammalogy.org American Society of Mammalogists since 1919 Leading the science of mammalogy Journal of Mammalogy, 93(6):1504–1511, 2012 Low genetic diversity and minimal population substructure in the endangered Florida manatee: implications for conservation KIMBERLY PAUSE TUCKER#,MARGARET E. HUNTER#,ROBERT K. BONDE,JAMES D. AUSTIN,ANN MARIE CLARK, CATHY A. BECK,PETER M. MCGUIRE, AND MADAN K. OLI* Stevenson University, Biology Department, 1525 Greenspring Valley Road, Stevenson, MD 21153-0641, USA (KPT) United States Geological Survey, Southeast Ecological Science Center, Sirenia Project, 7920 NW 71st Street, Gainesville, FL 32653, USA (MEH, RKB, CAB) University of Florida, Department of Physiological Sciences, 1600 SW Archer Road, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA (PMM) University of Florida, Interdisciplinary Center for Biotechnology Research, Genetic Analysis Laboratory, Gainesville, FL 32610, USA (AMC) University of Florida, Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, 110 Newins-Ziegler Hall, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA (MKO, JDA) * Correspondent:
[email protected] # These authors contributed equally to the manuscript. Species of management concern that have been affected by human activities typically are characterized by low genetic diversity, which can adversely affect their ability to adapt to environmental changes. We used 18 microsatellite markers to genotype 362 Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris), and investigated genetic diversity, population structure, and estimated genetically effective population size (Ne). The observed and expected heterozygosity and average number of alleles were 0.455 6 0.04, 0.479 6 0.04, and 4.77 6 0.51, respectively.