Genetic and Environmental Indicators of Climate Change Vulnerability for Desert Bighorn Sheep

Abstract

Desert Bighorn Climate Change Vulnerability populations occupying relatively intact landscapes, such as Death Valley and Grand Canyon national parks, had the lowest overall vulnerability. These results provide local and regional context for conservation and management decisions regarding bighorn populations in a changing climate. Our study further demonstrates how assessments combining multiple factors could allow a more integrated response, such as increasing efforts to maintain connectivity and thus potential for adaptation in areas experiencing rapid climate change.

Impact ofMycoplasma ovipneumoniaeon juvenile bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) survival in the northern Basin and Range ecosystem

“…We used a suite of 16 microsatellite markers in three panels ( Table S2 ) that had previously been used to investigate population connectivity and genetic variability in bighorn sheep ( Creech et al, 2020 ; Creech et al, 2020 ; Epps, Crowhurst & Nickerson, 2018 ). Genotyping followed protocols outlined in Epps, Crowhurst & Nickerson (2018) .…”

“…Currently, three subspecies of bighorn sheep are recognized, the desert bighorn sheep (O. c. nelsoni), the Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep (O. c. canadensis), and the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep (O. c. sierrae) (Wehausen & Ramey II, 2000;Wehausen, Bleich & Ramey II, 2005). Previously, other subspecies were recognized (e.g., Peninsular bighorn sheep, O. c. cremnobates, and California bighorn sheep, O. c. californiana) (Cowan, 1940). Debate remains about whether those putative lineages reflect important independent evolutionary trajectories and important local adaptation (Buchalski et al, 2016;Bleich, Sargeant & Wiedmann, 2018;Barbosa et al, in press).…”

“…Bighorn sheep in the northern Basin and Range ecosystem (including parts of southeastern Oregon, southwestern Idaho, and northern Nevada) occupy transitional habitats between the Mojave and Rocky Mountain systems and have a unique history. Native bighorn sheep from this region was considered the ''California '' subspecies (O. c. californiana;Cowan, 1940), spanned from the Sierra Nevada of California north to British Columbia. In Oregon, all native bighorn sheep were extirpated by 1945 (Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, 2003).…”

Historical Westward Migration Phases of Ovis aries Inferred from the Population Structure and the Phylogeography of Occidental Mediterranean Native Sheep Breeds

“…Since the discriminant analysis (DA) summarizes between-group genetic differentiation, while minimizing the within-group variation [ 56 , 73 ], we computed a PCA analysis that highlighted the within-group variation [ 56 ]. The PCA ( Figure 3 a) revealed a strong differentiation of the North African–APP sheep group from the Venetian sheep group, demonstrated both a high within-group genetic variation.…”

Peer Review #2 of "Impact of Mycoplasma ovipneumoniae on juvenile bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) survival in the northern Basin and Range ecosystem (v0.1)"

“…We used a suite of 16 microsatellite markers in three panels (Table S2) that had previously been used to investigate population connectivity and genetic variability in bighorn sheep (Creech et al, 2017(Creech et al, , 2020Epps, Crowhurst & Nickerson, 2018). Genotyping followed protocols outlined in Epps, Crowhurst & Nickerson (2018).…”