Microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA reveal regional population structure in bobcats (Lynx rufus) of North America

Croteau, Emily K.; Heist, Edward J.; Nielsen, Clayton K.; Hutchinson, Jennifer; Hellgren, Eric C.

doi:10.1007/s10592-012-0416-0

Cited by 20 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…The CUIS bobcat population has similar levels of observed heterozygosity, H O (0.742) but lower allelic richness, AR (3.67) compared to bobcat populations sampled in continental-wide surveys (Croteau et al 2012;Reding et al 2012). Reding et al (2012) reported an overall H O = 0.736 and AR = 11.78 for their continental-wide survey of 1680 bobcats examined using the same microsatellite loci as our study.…”

Section: Genetic Attributes Of Bobcat Populationsupporting

confidence: 60%

Population and genetic outcomes 20 years after reintroducing bobcats (Lynx rufus) to Cumberland Island, Georgia USA

Diefenbach

Hansen

Bohling

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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In 1988–1989, 32 bobcats Lynx rufus were reintroduced to Cumberland Island (CUIS), Georgia, USA, from which they had previously been extirpated. They were monitored intensively for 3 years immediately post‐reintroduction, but no estimation of the size or genetic diversity of the population had been conducted in over 20 years since reintroduction. We returned to CUIS in 2012 to estimate abundance and effective population size of the present‐day population, as well as to quantify genetic diversity and inbreeding. We amplified 12 nuclear microsatellite loci from DNA isolated from scats to establish genetic profiles to identify individuals. We used spatially explicit capture–recapture population estimation to estimate abundance. From nine unique genetic profiles, we estimate a population size of 14.4 (SE = 3.052) bobcats, with an effective population size (N e) of 5–8 breeding individuals. This is consistent with predictions of a population viability analysis conducted at the time of reintroduction, which estimated the population would average 12–13 bobcats after 10 years. We identified several pairs of related bobcats (parent‐offspring and full siblings), but ~75% of the pairwise comparisons were typical of unrelated individuals, and only one individual appeared inbred. Despite the small population size and other indications that it has likely experienced a genetic bottleneck, levels of genetic diversity in the CUIS bobcat population remain high compared to other mammalian carnivores. The reintroduction of bobcats to CUIS provides an opportunity to study changes in genetic diversity in an insular population without risk to this common species. Opportunities for natural immigration to the island are limited; therefore, continued monitoring and supplemental bobcat reintroductions could be used to evaluate the effect of different management strategies to maintain genetic diversity and population viability. The successful reintroduction and maintenance of a bobcat population on CUIS illustrates the suitability of translocation as a management tool for re‐establishing felid populations.

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Section: Genetic Attributes Of Bobcat Populationsupporting

confidence: 60%

Population and genetic outcomes 20 years after reintroducing bobcats (Lynx rufus) to Cumberland Island, Georgia USA

Diefenbach

Hansen

Bohling

et al. 2015

Ecology and Evolution

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“…Although the top predators do not often consume snowshoe hares, their presence could alter the behavior of bobcats. Finally, recent genetic evidence points to deep lineage splits between Western and Eastern bobcats (Croteau, Heist, Nielsen, Hutchinson, & Hellgren, ; Reding, Bronikowski, Johnson, & Clark, ), so there could potentially be subtle behavioral or phenotypic variation between these groups as well that would affect hunting success of prey selection.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Dietary overlap was variable in Western bobcat populations (Table 5) (Croteau, Heist, Nielsen, Hutchinson, & Hellgren, 2012;Reding, Bronikowski, Johnson, & Clark, 2012), so there could potentially be subtle behavioral or phenotypic variation between these groups as well that would affect hunting success of prey selection.…”

Section: Re Sultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Regional differences in winter diets of bobcats in their northern range

Newbury

Hodges

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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When generalist predators have wide geographic ranges, diets may differ dramatically, largely as a result of differing prey communities. Bobcats (Lynx rufus) are widely distributed across southern North America, with their northern range edge occurring in southern Canada and in the northern US states. Within this northern range, bobcats are exposed to cold and snowy winters and a limited number of prey species, conditions that are atypical for most of the range of bobcats. We examined winter diets of bobcats in high elevation and very snowy forests in northwest Montana to determine how these generalist predators managed in these harsh conditions in comparison with elsewhere in the northern range. Bobcats consumed five major prey types: Red squirrels (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) and Cricetid rodents comprised >78% of the dietary biomass, whereas the larger snowshoe hares (Lepus americanus), deer (Odocoileus spp.), and grouse were consumed much less often. The standardized niche breadth of bobcat diets was 0.29; bobcats from across the northern range also routinely ate multiple prey species, although Eastern bobcats appear to consume more lagomorphs than do Western bobcats. These results indicate that bobcats remain generalists in difficult winter conditions while preying primarily on small‐bodied prey, although bobcats have highly variable diets across their northern range.

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“…In contrast, the bobcat, Canada, and Eurasian lynx, based on mtDNA and microsatellites have shown moderate levels of genetic diversity and little genetic structure across most of their ranges [39, 43, 44]. Hence, the Lynx genus arises as a good model to study patterns of functional genetic variation following extreme overall genetic erosion.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Retention of functional variation despite extreme genomic erosion: MHC allelic repertoires in the Lynx genus

Marmesat

Schmidt

Saveljev³

et al. 2017

BMC Evol Biol

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BackgroundDemographic bottlenecks erode genetic diversity and may increase endangered species’ extinction risk via decreased fitness and adaptive potential. The genetic status of species is generally assessed using neutral markers, whose dynamic can differ from that of functional variation due to selection. The MHC is a multigene family described as the most important genetic component of the mammalian immune system, with broad implications in ecology and evolution. The genus Lynx includes four species differing immensely in demographic history and population size, which provides a suitable model to study the genetic consequences of demographic declines: the Iberian lynx being an extremely bottlenecked species and the three remaining ones representing common and widely distributed species. We compared variation in the most variable exon of the MHCI and MHCII-DRB loci among the four species of the Lynx genus.ResultsThe Iberian lynx was characterised by lower number of MHC alleles than its sister species (the Eurasian lynx). However, it maintained most of the functional genetic variation at MHC loci present in the remaining and genetically healthier lynx species at all nucleotide, amino acid, and supertype levels.ConclusionsSpecies-wide functional genetic diversity can be maintained even in the face of severe population bottlenecks, which caused devastating whole genome genetic erosion. This could be the consequence of divergent alleles being retained across paralogous loci, an outcome that, in the face of frequent gene conversion, may have been favoured by balancing selection.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12862-017-1006-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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Microsatellites and mitochondrial DNA reveal regional population structure in bobcats (Lynx rufus) of North America

Cited by 20 publications

References 72 publications

Population and genetic outcomes 20 years after reintroducing bobcats (Lynx rufus) to Cumberland Island, Georgia USA

Population and genetic outcomes 20 years after reintroducing bobcats (Lynx rufus) to Cumberland Island, Georgia USA

Regional differences in winter diets of bobcats in their northern range

Retention of functional variation despite extreme genomic erosion: MHC allelic repertoires in the Lynx genus

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