 | Molecular Ecology and Conservation Genetics of Neotropical Mammals Although all living beings modify their environment, human beings have acquired the ability to do so on a superlative space-time scale. As a result of industrialization and the use of new technologies, the anthropogenic impact has been increasing in the last centuries, causing reductions in the sizes or the extinction of numerous wild populations. In this sense, from the field of conservation genetics, various efforts have been made in recent decades to provide new knowledge that contributes to the conservation of populations, species, and habitats. In this book, we summarize the concrete contributions of researchers to the conservation of the Neotropical mammals using Molecular Ecology techniques. The book is divided into three major sections. The first section provides an up-to-date review of the conservation status of Neotropical mammals, the applications of the molecular markers in its conservation, and the use of non-invasive and forensic genetic techniques. The secondand third sections present, respectively, a series of case studies in various species or taxonomic groups of Neotropical mammals.Maximiliano Nardelli holds a Ph.D. in Microbiology from Buenos Aires University and teaches biology at the National University of Luján, Argentina. He is a researcher at the Research Group on Molecular Ecology of the Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development (INEDES-CONICET) and at the Education Department of the National University of Luján, where he also teaches molecular biology and is a teacher trainer in biology. He has published 8 scientific articles in international journals, 3 book chapters, and made more than 30 contributions at scientific meetings. He is currently studying biological corridors of native wild mammals of the Neotropics, integrating molecular tools and geographic information systems. His project aims to create and/or revalue biological corridors, working together with state institutions and the community. Juan Ignacio Túnez holds a Ph.D. in Biology from Buenos Aires University and is a researcher at the National Council of Scientific and Technical Research (CONICET) of Argentina. He is also Director of the Research Group on Molecular Ecology of the Institute of Ecology and Sustainable Development (INEDES-CONICET) and teaches evolution at the National University of Lujan, Argentina. He carries out studies in which, through the use of molecular markers, analyze diverse aspects of genetic diversity, genetic structure, social behavior, and conservation of different species of native wild mammals of the Neotropics. As a result of these studies, he has published 25 scientific articles in international journals and 3 book chapters that contribute to the development of conservation and management measures for the species studied and the ecosystems in which they live. |
