Species-specific PCR for neotropical felids

Abstract

Felids are crucial components of their ecosystems, often serving as top predators and exerting profound effects on their environment. Some felids require extensive forest habitats to thrive and can be considered an "umbrella species," whose conservation benefits other species in the same area. Therefore, accurate genetic identification of these animals through minimally invasive and highly accurate techniques is of foremost importance, given their elusive nature and the challenges of monitoring them in the wild. Accordingly, six simplex PCRs have been standardized to identify several felid species, including Leopardus pardalis, Leopardus wiedii, Leopardus tigrinus, Puma concolor, Puma yagouaroundi and Panthera onca, using species-specific primer sets and several types of samples such as blood, muscle, hair, feces, among others. These tests have shown to be a reliable and cost-effective method for their identification and can have multiple applications regarding their conservation and future research.