Banco referencial molecular para a ictiofauna da bacia hidrográfica do Alto Paraná

Abstract

The ichthyofauna of neotropical freshwater environments is the most specious on the planet, including more than 6,200 species, with approximately 340 of them occurring in the Alto Paraná basin, in the Cerrado biome. This drainage encompasses rivers in the south-central region of Brazil and has one of the most endangered ichthyofaunas in South America, largely due to the existence of hydroelectric dams that isolate populations of multiple organisms. Given some exceptions, fish distributions in the Upper Paraná are poorly defined, which makes effective actions and public policies for the conservation of the Cerrado aquatic systems difficult. Environmental DNA sequencing techniques have shown promise in identifying species, with accurate surveys and without the need for an invasive approach. Such techniques use the genetic material present in the environment, especially mitochondrial DNA and next generation sequencing (NGS) to inventory local communities. The accuracy of identification of environmental DNA sequences depends on the organization of a reliable genomic reference bank, where they can be compared with DNA barcoding from test specimens deposited in scientific collections. However, there is currently no sufficiently comprehensive reference bank of DNA sequences for fish in the Upper Paraná Basin to enable the identification of resident and transient ichthyofauna in this region. Due to this problem, this study will organize a list with sequences deposited in repositories such as GenBank and BOLD for the COI gene, considering the individuals sampled in the basin. In addition, an unpublished reference bank composed of complete mitochondrial genomes will be organized to facilitate the identification of sequences from other mitochondrial markers, thus contributing to enable studies on the conservation of ichthyofauna and their spatial patterns in the Upper Paraná basin.