The importance of historical land use in the maintenance of early successional habitat for a threatened rattlesnake

McCluskey, Eric M.; Matthews, Stephen N.; Ligocki, Isaac Y.; Holding, Matthew L.; Lipps, Gregory J.; Hetherington, Thomas E.

doi:10.1016/j.gecco.2017.e00370

Cited by 10 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…For example, in this study, the oldest S. catenatus recorded at our sites was a 10‐year‐old female, while the average generation time is approximately three years (Sovic et al, 2019). As a consequence, our movement estimates represent dispersal rates between sites within the last 30 years, well within recent modifications of the landscape for agriculture (McCluskey et al, 2018). This contrasts with the broader and less precise estimates derived from BayesAss, which typically represent the last 5–15 generations (Rannala & Mountain, 1997; Wilson & Rannala, 2003), although this is probably only true within a band of optimal dispersal values described by Meirmans (2014).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

“…These results, and those of Chiucchi and Gibbs (2010) and Samarasin et al, (2017) also suggest that S. catenatus populations in this region probably went from occupied patches with regular movement between them to complete isolation in the recent past. This may be due to the increase in forest and agricultural land from anthropogenic events that have occurred over the last 100 years in Northeast Ohio (McCluskey et al, 2018). We note that these genetic clusters show high levels of genetic heterozygosity and limited genetic differentiation (Table S1).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This may be due to the increase in forest and agricultural land from anthropogenic events that have occurred over the last 100 years in Northeast Ohio (McCluskey et al, 2018). We note that these genetic clusters show high levels of genetic heterozygosity and limited genetic differentiation (Table S1).…”

Section: Sistrurus Catenatus Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pedigree‐based assessment of recent population connectivity in a threatened rattlesnake

Martin

Lipps

Gibbs

2021

Molecular Ecology Resources

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Managing endangered species in fragmented landscapes requires estimating dispersal rates between populations over contemporary timescales. Here, we developed a new method for quantifying recent dispersal using genetic pedigree data for close and distant kin. Specifically, we describe an approach that infers missing shared ancestors between pairs of kin in habitat patches across a fragmented landscape. We then applied a stepping-stone model to assign unsampled individuals in the pedigree to probable locations based on minimizing the number of movements required to produce the observed locations in sampled kin pairs. Finally, we used all pairs of reconstructed parent-offspring sets to estimate dispersal rates between habitat patches under a Bayesian model. Our approach measures connectivity over the timescale represented by the small number of generations contained within the pedigree and so is appropriate for estimating the impacts of recent habitat changes due to human activity. We used our method to estimate recent movement between newly discovered populations of threatened Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) using data from 2996 RAD-based genetic loci. Our pedigree analyses found no evidence for contemporary connectivity between five genetic groups, but, as validation of our approach, showed high dispersal rates between sample sites within a single genetic cluster. We conclude that these five genetic clusters of Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes have small numbers of resident snakes and are demographically isolated conservation units. More broadly, our methodology can be widely applied to determine contemporary connectivity rates, independent of bias from shared genetic similarity due to ancestry that impacts other approaches.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Pedigree‐based assessment of recent population connectivity in a threatened rattlesnake

Martin

Lipps

Gibbs

2021

Molecular Ecology Resources

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“…Having variable, but typically small, home range sizes (25 ha (Weatherhead & Prior, 1992), 4.02 ha (Marshall et al, 2006), 1.3 ha (Moore & Gillingham, 2006), and 0.98 ha (Reinert & Kodrich, 1982)) within their wetland-associated grassland habitats has enabled Eastern Massasaugas to persist in heavily fragmented environments, particularly in the southern part of its range (Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Pennsylvania), but not without genetic consequences (see below). However, similar to other ambush predators (Shine & Fitzgerald, 1996;Webb & Shine, 1998), and given their small size relative to most rattlesnake species, Eastern Massasaugas exhibit limited dispersal and movement (maximum range lengths 1-2 km; DeGregorio et al, 2011;Durbian et al, 2008) that reduces their ability to colonize new habitats (McCluskey et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Intact landscape promotes gene flow and low genetic structuring in the threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

Kudla

McCluskey

Lulla

et al. 2021

Ecology and Evolution

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“…More than 82% of snake species worldwide lack sufficient information to even assess their conservation status [26], and long-term studies are rare (e.g., [27,28]). Such information is needed urgently because reptiles are among the most rapidly declining taxa globally [29][30][31][32][33] and yet they play key roles in ecological food webs [27]. Snake distribution is strongly associated with spatial thermal homogeneity, and everevolving anthropogenically-altered lands may facilitate drastic alterations in the heterogeneity of thermal properties on the landscape [34][35][36].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Using Ecological Niche Models for Population and Range Estimates of a Threatened Snake Species (Crotalus oreganus) in Canada

Kirk¹,

Karimi²,

Maida

et al. 2021

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Modelling the distribution and abundance of species at risk is extremely important for their conservation and management. We used ecological niche models (ENMs) to predict the occurrence of western rattlesnakes (Crotalus oreganus) in British Columbia (BC), Canada. We applied this to existing population estimates to support a threshold of occurrence for management and conservation. We also identified predictors influencing rattlesnake distribution and abundance in this region. Using a Geographic Information Systems platform, we incorporated ENMs, capture–mark–recapture (CMR) and radio-telemetry results, province-wide observations, Landsat imagery and provincial databases for agricultural land use to produce quantitative, spatially explicit, population estimates across BC. Using available western rattlesnake habitat estimated at 183.9 km2 and averaging estimates calculated from densities in three study populations, we generated a mean adult population size of 9722 (±SD 3009; 0.8 relative index of occurrence [RIO] threshold). Only a small area (21.6 km2) of suitable land cover was located within protected areas, potentially protecting an estimated 1144 (±354) adults. Most suitable land cover was within 500 m of roads (170.6 km2), representing potential habitat being used by an estimated 9017 (±2791) adults. At the threshold RIO value chosen (0.8), only a very small area of farmland provided suitable land cover. Our results highlight the possibility of high mortality rates for western rattlesnakes near roads and the fact that protected areas do not provide sufficient coverage to conserve the population. Given that this species has relatively low mobility and high site fidelity to home ranges, our population estimate for BC provides a useful reference for the northern part of the species’ range. It also fulfills a need to estimate population size within political jurisdictions where conservation management decisions are made, as well as presenting a method that can be applied to other parts of the range, including the southern United States. Our study provides an important benchmark for future monitoring of western rattlesnakes in BC using a repeatable and transparent approach. Similar applications can be extrapolated and applied for other threatened species to identify and quantify population distributions and threats, further supporting conservation prioritization tools to be used to maximize the effectiveness of conservation strategies under financial constraints.

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The importance of historical land use in the maintenance of early successional habitat for a threatened rattlesnake

Cited by 10 publications

References 42 publications

Pedigree‐based assessment of recent population connectivity in a threatened rattlesnake

Pedigree‐based assessment of recent population connectivity in a threatened rattlesnake

Intact landscape promotes gene flow and low genetic structuring in the threatened Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

Using Ecological Niche Models for Population and Range Estimates of a Threatened Snake Species (Crotalus oreganus) in Canada

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