Molecular identification of three sympatric lagomorphs in the Northeastern United States

The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is the focus of extensive efforts to conserve the species. A major component of their conservation program is the collection of faecal samples to determine their distribution and abundance throughout their range. In parts of their range, New Eng...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mitochondrial DNA. Part B. Resources 2019-01, Vol.4 (1), p.1513-1517
Main Authors: Sullivan, Mary, McGreevy, Thomas J., Gottfried, Amy E., Tefft, Brian C., Buffum, Bill, Husband, Thomas P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal behavior
Deoxyribonucleic acid
Diagnostic characters
DNA
Lepus
Mitochondrial DNA
mitochondrial DNA control region
nuclear mitochondrial sequence (NUMT)
Nucleotide sequence
Polymerase chain reaction
Species
Sylvilagus
Sympatric populations
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Summary:The New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is the focus of extensive efforts to conserve the species. A major component of their conservation program is the collection of faecal samples to determine their distribution and abundance throughout their range. In parts of their range, New England cottontail is sympatric with a non-native eastern cottontail (S. floridanus) and snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus). Because faecal samples from all three lagomorphs are indistinguishable, a reliable molecular genetic method for specimen identification is necessary. We tested the efficacy of a diagnostic character method by analyzing sequence data from 1770 faecal, blood, and tissue samples collected from five states in the Northeastern United States. The method amplified a portion of the mitochondrial DNA control region and identified numerous diagnostic characters for each species. Two suspected nuclear mitochondrial DNA sequences (NUMTs) also were identified when a universal primer was used in the polymerase chain reaction. Our study could be the first evidence of a NUMT in a lagomorph and highlights the importance of using taxon-specific primers for species identification.
ISSN:2380-2359
2380-2359
DOI:10.1080/23802359.2019.1601508