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Genetic approach reveals a polygynous-polyandrous mating system and no social organization in a small and isolated population of the screaming hairy armadillo, Chaetophractus vellerosus

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Abstract

The development of agro-ecosystems in the pastures of the Pampean Region has substantially modified their structure and functioning. Many wild mammal populations in the Argentinean Pampas face habitat loss and/or fragmentation due to human activities, resulting in harmful genetic effects. The screaming hairy armadillo (Chaetophractus vellerosus) is a species considered an indicator of the state of preservation of the environments it inhabits. However, very little information is available about its mating system in the wild. In this sense, an isolated population of the screaming hairy armadillo in the northeast of Buenos Aires Province, which is separated from the main distribution area of the species by about 500 km, requires special attention. Genetic studies that analyzed social behavior and mating systems in Xenarthra are scarce but necessary to establish conservation actions for the isolated screaming hairy armadillo population under study. Thus, we analyzed the existence of a possible social organization in the species, together with its mating system, using a set of previously characterized microsatellites. Our results showed a complex scenario for the dispersal and mating system in this C. vellerosus population. Males disperse and females have a philopatric tendency with some degree of dispersal. This strategy, in combination with a polygynous-polyandrous mating system, could enhance genetic variability in this small and isolated population. In addition, no evidence of social organization was found.

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Acknowledgements

We thank M. C. Ezquiaga and L. G. Pagano for their invaluable assistance during fieldwork. Special thanks go to Landa family (farm owners) and workers that allowed access to their property. This work was supported by the Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (PIP 11220150100724 to J.I.T and Postdoctoral Grant to M.N.) and Departamento de Ciencias Básicas de la Universidad Nacional de Luján (Fondos Finalidad 3.5 2017-2018).

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Author notes

  1. Maximiliano Nardelli and Ezequiel Ibañez have contributed equally to this work.

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departamento de Ciencias Básicas, Universidad Nacional de Luján (UNLu), Luján, Argentina

    Maximiliano Nardelli, Ezequiel Ibañez, Dara Dobler, Gimena Illia & Juan Ignacio Túnez

  2. Grupo de Investigación en Ecología Molecular, Instituto de Ecología y Desarrollo Sustentable (INEDES-CONICET-UNLu), Universidad Nacional de Luján, Luján, Argentina

    Maximiliano Nardelli, Ezequiel Ibañez, Dara Dobler, Gimena Illia & Juan Ignacio Túnez

  3. Departamento de Educación, Universidad Nacional de Luján, Luján, Argentina

    Maximiliano Nardelli

  4. Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE), CCT-CONICET, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, La Plata, Argentina

    Agustín M. Abba

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  1. Maximiliano Nardelli
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  2. Ezequiel Ibañez
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  3. Dara Dobler
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  6. Juan Ignacio Túnez
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Correspondence to Maximiliano Nardelli.

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Nardelli, M., Ibañez, E., Dobler, D. et al. Genetic approach reveals a polygynous-polyandrous mating system and no social organization in a small and isolated population of the screaming hairy armadillo, Chaetophractus vellerosus. Genetica 148, 125–133 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10709-020-00092-5

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