A limited number of studies have focused on the population genetic structure of vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) in America. This medium-sized bat is distributed in tropical areas of the continent with high prevalence in forested livestock areas. The aim of this work was to characterize the vampire population structure and their genetic differentiation. For this, we followed standard methods by which live vampires (caught by mist-netting) and preserved material from scientific collections, were obtained for a total of 15 different locations, ranging from Chihuahua (North) to Quintana Roo (Southeast). Tissue samples were obtained from both live and collected animals, and the genetic differentiation, within and among localities, was assessed by the use of seven microsatellite loci. Our results showed that all loci were polymorphic and no private alleles were detected. High levels of heterozygosis were detected when the proportion of alleles in each locus were compared. Pairwise F ST and R ST detected significant genetic differentiation among individuals from different localities. Our population structure results indicate the presence of eleven clusters, with a high percentage of assigned individuals to some specific collecting site. Rev. Biol. Trop. 62 (2): 659-669. Epub 2014 June 01.Key words: heterozygosity, México, microsatellite, population structure, vampire bats.Phyllostomid bats are often abundant and widely distributed in the tropical and subtropical areas of America, seemingly due the evolutionary origin of the group and its local adaptations to appropriate tropical habitats (Wetterer, Rockman, & Simmons, 2000). Some phyllostomid species are more tolerant to human disturbance and extreme conditions of fragmented habitats, these species are adapted to a semi-natural matrix (a mix of original habitat with different levels of human induced disturbance), and may function as a measure of habitat integrity (Medellín, Equihua, & Amin, 2000). Several authors evaluated the ecological role of phyllostomid bats as indicators of habitat disturbance (Johns, Wilson, & Pine, 1985;Fenton et al., 1992;Medellín, et al., 2000), showing how some phyllostomids are linked to human disturbances. For instance, the Jamaican fruit-eating bat (Artibeus jamaicensis) is a common component of the urban fauna in tropical Middle America. Similarly, the high abundance of vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus) has been linked to the growth of livestock production (Medellín et al., 2000).The genetic structure of wild animals reveals information about population size, dispersal, reproductive success, mating system, relatedness, among much other potential information (Kerth, Safi, & König, 2002). Locally abundant populations are expected to maintain high levels of gene flow, augmented genetic diversity, and to have high genetic divergence when compared to geographically distant populations. Genetic structure is defined as genetically differentiated populations due to physical barriers to migration combined with the dispersal ability of t...
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