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Context: Identification of areas with high connectivity is crucial for large carnivores' management and conservation, especially where landscape has been modified by human activities. Partially under legal hunting control, south-central Argentine pumas (Puma concolor) have been described to be structured into two distinct groups with an inverse correlation between gene flow and hunting pressure. Objectives: To further assess puma genetic structure and test whether isolation-by-distance and/or isolation-by-resistance could explain the previously reported putative correlation between gene flow and hunting pressure. Methods: We explored spatial segregation of pumas by testing for hierarchical structure within previously identified clusters, genetic differentiation among sampling regions, and isolation-by-distance among individuals. Using a land cover resistance-based approach, we assessed landscape influence on puma connectivity to analyze landscape permeability between sampling sites. Results: Our study added a third genetic group to the previously identified clusters, reporting significant genetic differentiation among sampling regions. We also observed a significant correlation among geographic and genetic distances, supporting genetic structure and gene flow pattern of connectivity. We identified a continuous high current flow across the landscape where shrublands are the primary habitat, whereas landscape permeability declined as grassland cover increases. Conclusions: Genetic structure and gene flow among south-central Argentine pumas can be partially related to the landscape connectivity pattern observed in the area. These results are extremely important for puma conservation in the area because the identification of high-permeability linkage zones can now be used to gather ecological fine-scale data to support more appropriate conservation strategies, aiming to preserve important dispersal areas for this apex predator. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Understanding population structure and spatial distribution of genetic diversity is an important aspect of developing appropriate management plans for wildlife conservation, especially for large carnivores like the puma (Puma concolor). Human persecution and habitat degradation represent the main threats to the species' conservation in Argentina, where its population genetics has been only marginally explored, and conflict with livestock is mainly managed by legally harvesting pumas. Combining microsatellite genotyping and mitochondrial DNA sequencing, we investigated patterns of puma population diversity and genetic structure in an area of northern Patagonia heavily disturbed by anthropogenic activities. Moreover, we explored effective population size and functional connectivity to assess if recent habitat modifications might have influenced puma genetics. Our results suggest the presence of two genetic clusters (based on microsatellites) and two different haplotypes, which exhibited a similar geographic separation. Despite the observed pattern of a decrease in genetic association among individuals with increasing geographic distance, we found asymmetric gene flow and non-homogeneously distributed diversity among populations, which could be explained by the effect of human disturbance on puma dispersal capacity. The low-density estimate and the sign of a recent significant bottleneck reinforce our inference. This research contributes to the basic knowledge of puma genetics required for planning conservation strategies that aim to ensure species persistence in northern Patagonia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]