The European bison was saved from the brink of extinction due to considerable conservation efforts since the early 20thcentury. The current global population of > 9,500 individuals is the result of successful ex situ breeding based on a stock of only 12 founders, resulting in an extremely low level of genetic variability. Due to the low allelic diversity, traditional molecular tools, such as microsatellites, fail to provide sufficient resolution for accurate genetic assessments in European bison, let alone from non-invasive samples. Here, we present a SNP panel for accurate high-resolution genotyping of European bison, which is suitable for a wide variety of sample types. The panel accommodates 96 markers allowing for individual and parental assignment, sex determination, breeding line discrimination, and cross-species detection. Two applications were shown to be utilisable in further Bos species with potential conservation significance. The new SNP panel will allow to tackle crucial tasks in European bison conservation, including the genetic monitoring of reintroduced populations, and a molecular assessment of pedigree data documented in the world's first studbook of a threatened species.
We present a list of amphibian and reptile species encountered from 16–20 July 2016 in the upper drainage of Río Guázaro, Parque Nacional Santa Fé, Veraguas, Panama. We collected 10 amphibian and 10 reptile species and observed three additional amphibian and one additional reptile species. Our collected material provides the first records from Veraguas province for the amphibians Bolitoglossa schizodactyla Wake & Brame, 1966 and Diasporus aff. quidditus (Lynch, 2001), as well as for the reptiles Basiliscus plumifrons Cope, 1876, Micrurus stewarti Barbour & Amaral, 1928, and Sibon argus (Cope, 1876). Although relatively small in species and specimen numbers, our collection represents the first documented herpetological inventory on the largely unexplored Caribbean versant of Veraguas in 50 years.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.