关于水獭的教育

博士生帮助保护新热带水獭，教育公众

University of Idaho doctoral student Manuel Santiago is no stranger to the elusive neotropical otter.

通过赠款的支持, 中美洲的利益相关者和伊利诺伊大学的教职员工, Santiago is working to conserve the species by employing two novel sampling methods to study otter genetics. He is focusing on understand the otters’ movement between rivers and how human activities impact their dispersal patterns. Santiago collects genetic samples for feces along rivers to evaluate population size, 密度, 活动范围, 遗传多样性与基因流动.

The neotropical otter is distributed from northern Mexico to southern Argentina, 包括特立尼达, 圣地亚哥是第一个进行基因研究的人吗. Santiago first worked with neotropical otters while earning his bachelor’s in ecology from Universidad Juárez Autónoma de Tabasco in Villahermosa, 墨西哥. He continued his research in Costa Rica while earning his Master of Science in management and conservation of tropical forest and biodiversity from Centro Agronómico Tropical de Investigación y Enseñanza.

最后，圣地亚哥联系了 Lisette等待, 野生动物资源 特聘教授, 拓展他的研究方法, 地理和社区影响，同时获得博士学位.

在世界范围内连接

作为一名成员 International Union for Conservation and Nature/SSC Otter Specialist Group and the Central America coordinator and representative for Costa Rica for the neotropical otter species, 圣地亚哥建立了保护全球物种的网络.

“到目前为止, there are very few people in the Central American region working with the species,圣地亚哥说. “As the Central American coordinator and Costa Rican representative, I build collaborative networks between Central American researchers working with otters to expand the knowledge of this species in the region, linking the information generated from previous studies of this species in Mexico and South America.”

The Otter Specialist Group is committed to raising awareness of otter conservation through ongoing collaboration and holding international otter meetings to present and promote research for all 13 otter species among researchers, 学生, 公众.

扩大遗传健康保护

Santiago is developing genetic methods that are relevant for not just the neotropical otter but also other species.

“He is developing and testing sampling, collection and storage methods for otter feces,”Waits说。. “我以前采样过几个物种, 但水獭特别难对付, with genetic individual identification success rates of only 10 to 20%.”

与此同时, 其他许多物种的成功率，比如犬科动物, 猫科的动物, 熊的比例在50%到70%之间. Conservation groups must have more knowledge and access to appropriate genetic sampling methods for otters to increase success rates and expand genetic analysis throughout the range of the species.

在热带国家, 水獭的粪便暴露在大雨中, 温度高、湿度大, 会加速DNA降解. Santiago is employing and comparing two novel collection and storage methods that include DET buffers and swabbing protocol to discover how to best preserve DNA in tropical environments.

“Due to elusive behavior, neotropical otters are very difficult to observe and monitor in the wild. 有时它们存在的唯一迹象就是它们的粪便, 通常收集哪些来分析饮食,圣地亚哥说. “通过擦拭粪便外部的DNA来代替, we can collect cells directly from the otters to know more about their secretive life — not just information from what they ate.”

激励下一代

Education efforts are essential to the future conservation of the species.

“We aim to inspire the next generation to learn about these spectacular otters and to go on to protect the environment,”Waits说。.

We aim to inspire the next generation to learn about these spectacular otters and to go on to protect the environment. Lisette等待，杰出的教授

“They are a research station and a community organization with the necessary local connections to incorporate environmental education,圣地亚哥说.

The Tirimbina Biological Reserve works with Tirimbina school on different recycling projects, and the Reserve is currently growing its environmental programs to incorporate other schools. Santiago plans to keep developing educational programs for the Tirimbina school and many other schools in the future, and he dreams of returning to Mexico as a professor to train the next generation of professionals in natural resources. Manuel hopes to encourage his future 学生 to pursue education outside of Mexico, as he did.

“Students must take advantage of as many opportunities as possible,圣地亚哥说. “They will not only learn about new cultures and customs but also find new ways to preserve nature locally and worldwide.”