IUCN / SSC Cat Specialist Group - Digital Cat Library |
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| Jacques, G.S. | |
| Identifica‡Æo de esp‚cies animais usando seqˆncias de genes mitocondriais no combate aos crimes contra a fauna | |
| 2005 Full Book | |
The forensic application of mitochondrial gene sequences for the identification of species is particularly useful in the investigations of wildlife crimes. The two mitochondrial genes, cytochrome b and subunit I of cytochrome c oxidase have been internationally recommended for this purpose. Although they do evolve at essentially the same rate, the first one is generally used for the identification of vertebrates, while the second for invertebrates, resulting in different abundances of sequences deposited in _GenBank_ and a differential forensic utility in these groups of animals. In this work, sequencing and analysis of portions of these genes was used for (1) the solution of a forensic investigation; (2) the analysis of intra and interspecific diversity in different animal groups; (3) the proposal and development of simple differential diagnostic tools amongst groups of animals based on allele specific PCR. Direct sequencing of _cytb_ was used for the solution of a real life forensic investigation at the DPF involving the smuggling of eggs of native Brazilian birds. The analysis of cytb sequences allowed concluding that in fact it was a crime against wildlife involving the traffic of four distinct species, most of them belonging to the family Psitacideae. The phylogenetic knowledge in the families Cebidae, Cervidae, Felidae, Myrmecophagidae, Psittacidae and Tayassuidae, was studied emphasizing the problems in each group and their implications for forensic species identification, including forensic entomology. Sequences of the two mtDNA genes studied for species belonging to these families were added to _GenBank_. The intraspecific level of sequence polymorphism was studied in two populations of giant anteater. The same four haplotypes were found in the Emas National Park population were also found in the population from Serra da Canastra National Park, indicating that the limited nucleotide diversity precludes the use of these genes in phylogeographic and genetic studies. To allow confidence in the declaration of species identity using mitochondrial genes, these studies point to the necessity of carrying out detailed phylogenetic analyses of the questioned sequences in addition to a simple search for identity of sequences through blast in genebank as generally proposed in the forensic literature. |
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