Annual survival of Allegheny woodrats in a nonequilibrium metapopulation

Smyser, Timothy J.; Stauffer, Glenn E.; Johnson, Scott A.; Hudson, C.; Rhodes, Olin E.

doi:10.1093/jmammal/gyw136

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Similar adult female survival rates of both ecotypes in our investigation may have conferred a further demographic advantage to the MT ecotype, however, as Geist () postulated that females most successful in rearing offspring would be expected to have lower survival rates than would less successful females (Toweill and Geist ). Maximizing birth and survival rates within individual subpopulations (i.e., herds) has clear benefits for the restoration of species existing in spatially structured systems (Smyser et al ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecotypic variation in population dynamics of reintroduced bighorn sheep

2017

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Selection of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) for translocation historically has been motivated by preservation of subspecific purity rather than by adaptation of source stocks to similar environments. Our objective was to estimate cause-specific, annual, and age-specific mortality of introduced bighorn sheep that originated at low elevations in southern British Columbia, Canada (BC ecotype), or in the Missouri River Breaks region of central Montana, USA (MT ecotype). In North Dakota, USA, mortality was similar and typically low for adult female bighorn sheep from Montana (0.09 AE 0.029 [SE]) and British Columbia (0.08 AE 0.017) during 2000-2016. Median life expectancy was 11 years for females that reached adulthood (2 yrs old); however, mortality accelerated with age and reached 86% by age 16. Mortalities resulted primarily from low rates of predation, disease, accidents, and unknown natural causes (<0.04 [upper 90% CI]). Similar survival rates of female bighorn sheep from British Columbia and Montana, coupled with greater recruitment of bighorn sheep from Montana, resulted in a greater projected rate of increase for the MT ecotype (l ¼ 1.21) than for the BC ecotype (1.02), and a more youthful age structure. These results support translocation of bighorn sheep from areas that are environmentally similar to areas that will be stocked. Potential benefits include more rapid population growth, greater resilience to and more rapid recovery from densityindependent losses, an increased possibility that rapidly growing populations will expand into adjacent habitat, increased hunter opportunity, increased connectivity among herds, and a more complete restoration of ecosystem processes. Ó 2017 The Wildlife Society.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecotypic variation in population dynamics of reintroduced bighorn sheep

2017

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“…Simulations included 100,000 replicate cycles. The proportion of candidate dams and sires sampled was estimated to be 0.80, based on the probability of capture estimated from comparable trapping approaches of other woodrat populations [ 16 ]. The proportion of typed loci was 0.99 and the proportion of loci mistyped was set to 0.04 [ 26 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result, woodrats typically form small subpopulations (defined by suitable rock habitat) that are connected by dispersal within a larger metapopulation [ 12 , 13 ]. If movement amongst habitat patches is interrupted, subpopulations become isolated, gene flow is inhibited, genetic diversity is lost through drift, inbreeding depression occurs, population numbers decrease, and recolonization of extirpated sites declines [ 14 – 16 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel SNP assay reveals increased genetic variability and abundance following translocations to a remnant Allegheny woodrat population

Muller-Girard

Fowles²,

Duchamp

et al. 2022

BMC Ecol Evo

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Background Allegheny woodrats (Neotoma magister) are found in metapopulations distributed throughout the Interior Highlands and Appalachia. Historically these metapopulations persisted as relatively fluid networks, enabling gene flow between subpopulations and recolonization of formerly extirpated regions. However, over the past 45 years, the abundance of Allegheny woodrats has declined throughout the species’ range due to a combination of habitat destruction, declining hard mast availability, and roundworm parasitism. In an effort to initiate genetic rescue of a small, genetically depauperate subpopulation in New Jersey, woodrats were translocated from a genetically robust population in Pennsylvania (PA) in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Herein, we assess the efficacy of these translocations to restore genetic diversity within the recipient population. Results We designed a novel 134 single nucleotide polymorphism panel, which was used to genotype the six woodrats translocated from PA and 82 individuals from the NJ population captured before and after the translocation events. These data indicated that a minimum of two translocated individuals successfully produced at least 13 offspring, who reproduced as well. Further, population-wide observed heterozygosity rose substantially following the first set of translocations, reached levels comparable to that of populations in Indiana and Ohio, and remained elevated over the subsequent years. Abundance also increased during the monitoring period, suggesting Pennsylvania translocations initiated genetic rescue of the New Jersey population. Conclusions Our results indicate, encouragingly, that very small numbers of translocated individuals can successfully restore the genetic diversity of a threatened population. Our work also highlights the challenges of managing very small populations, such as when translocated individuals have greater reproductive success relative to residents. Finally, we note that ongoing work with Allegheny woodrats may broadly shape our understanding of genetic rescue within metapopulations and across heterogeneous landscapes.

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