University of Idaho doctorate student Manuel Santiago details his genetic research of the neotropical otter.
Working alongside Dr. Lisette Waits of the College of Natural Resources, Santiago has used the university’s resources for DNA analysis and genetic monitoring technology to help further researchers’ understanding of a species that has historically proven to be particularly hard to track. A member of the joint Otter Specialist Group formed by the (IUCN) and the Species Survival Commission (SSC), Santiago has been dedicated to the conservation efforts for the neotropical otter.
The modern genetic monitoring tools used today have been especially useful for researchers, who, rather than having to invest in expensive tracking technology, could obtain a significant amount of genetic information through water samples, in the case of studying marine life, or through fecal samples, in the case of studying land animals.
Waits said that these methods of genetic research have allowed for greater efficiency and affordability in the realms of conservation and ecology that weren’t possible in the decades prior.
“These methods have increased the number of questions that we can answer about wildlife populations and in some cases have decreased the cost required to get answers to those questions.”
Waits, whose work frequently involves the study of large carnivores, said that this has been especially useful for animals that are either too dangerous or too elusive to capture. For Santiago, the elusiveness of his species of study has made these improved methods of genetic material collection imperative for his research.
Though these tools have improved research efforts, studying the neotropical otter comes with difficulties that aren’t entirely solved by these new methods of genetic monitoring. Santiago noted the species as being especially “charismatic,” but said challenges have arisen because of their being especially hard to track. Often the only signs left behind by the otters are their fecal matter, and training is required simply to be able to find it, Santiago said. He added that researchers need to be traversing through riverbanks and trekking as far as 10km (6.2 mi) just to find scat to study, and even then, efforts can come up empty.
This level of difficulty is in large part a result of the region Santiago has worked to pursue his studies.
In Mexico and South America, information was readily available regarding the genetics and diet of the neotropical otters in the respective regions. This was not the case for Central America, where information on the species in the region was notably lacking. It was this disparity, Manuel said, that was particularly responsible for his desire to focus his research efforts on the otter within Central America.
“Since I am the representative for this species in the IUCN, my goal is to generate information about genetics, about distribution and also mak(e) contacts in each country…to have a net of contacts in Central America,” Santiago said. “It felt like our responsibility to create, to produce this information about the species.”
Due to the tropical environment of Central America, much of the DNA samples gathered can be damaged as a result of heat, humidity, and other environmental factors. This “low-quality DNA” requires specialized laboratories to be able to properly analyze these degraded samples. Santiago said additional challenges stem from the neotropical otter’s diet, which is made up largely of fish and is known to produce degenerative effects in the DNA found in scat.
To remedy this information gap, Santiago’s research has been concerned with analyzing the effectiveness of two different DNA collection and storage protocols: DET buffers and swabbing.
“So far for the tropics, swabbing is the best methodology,” Santiago said, adding that further research will be necessary as variance within species, as well as the potential for another, superior method of DNA collection arising, could make swabbing a less effective option.
While operating largely off of fecal matter alone might not seem to provide much information to researchers, Waits said that the reality is the DNA found in these samples, even when degraded, can provide a wealth of information about a given animal species.
“Genetics record the history of patterns of movement across a range of species and we can use genetics to understand how (otters) from different geographic regions, such as Costa Rica, are related to otters from Mexico, or otters from Panama,” Waits said. “By looking into their DNA to figure out how they related to each other, you can reconstruct their history of colonization events.”
Waits said studies to reconstruct the colonization events: how certain species came to inhabit the regions they presently reside, are being pursued for the Central American neotropical otters as well as with bats in the Galapagos Islands.
“In the College of Natural Resources, we have our laboratory for evolutionary ecological and conservation genetics that includes this special facility with the ability to work with these low-quality DNA samples,” Waits said, adding that opportunities to gain experience in these lab environments are open to both undergraduate and graduate students.
As two figures thoroughly entrenched in the realm of academia, both Waits and Santiago sought to emphasize the importance of broader community education being pursued in tandem with their specialized research interests.
Santiago said that significant progress was being made in the number of researchers in Central America studying the otters but added that primary education also needs to be a focus for expansion. For Santiago, educating children on the otters is especially important as their knowledge base for the species stems only from what their parents or grandparents might tell them since so little about them is known in the region.
Waits emphasized that opportunities at the university are available for students, including those not directly involved in the College of Natural Resources.
“Every spring we teach a wildlife winter monitoring course where students help with the spotlight monitoring of the endangered Columbia Basin pygmy rabbit,” Waits said. “Those that are interested have the opportunity to learn the DNA methods in the laboratory and get involved, even if you’re not a wildlife student.”
Royce McCandless can be reached at [email protected] or Twitter @roycem_news