1
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Roffler GH, Pilgrim KL, Williams BC. Patterns of Wolf Dispersal Respond to Harvest Density across an Island Complex. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:622. [PMID: 38396590 PMCID: PMC10885989 DOI: 10.3390/ani14040622] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/27/2023] [Revised: 01/23/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Wolves are highly mobile predators and can disperse across a variety of habitats and over long distances. However, less is known about dispersal capabilities across water and among islands. The biogeography of island systems fosters spatially structured local populations, and their degree of connectivity may influence the dynamics and long-term viability of the regional population. We sought to quantify wolf dispersal rate, distance, and dispersal sex bias throughout Prince of Wales Island, a 6670 km2 island in southeast Alaska, and the surrounding islands that constitute the wildlife management unit (9025 km2). We also investigated patterns of dispersal in relation to hunting and trapping intensity and wolf population density. We used DNA data collected during 2012-2021 long-term monitoring efforts and genotyped 811 wolves, 144 of which (18%) were dispersers. Annual dispersal rates were 9-23% and had a weakly positive relationship with wolf density. Wolves dispersed 41.9 km on average (SD = 23.7 km), and males and females did not disperse at different rates. Of the dispersing wolves, 107 died, and the majority (n = 81) died before they were able to settle. The leading manner of death was trapping (97% of mortalities), and wolves tended to disperse from areas with low harvest density to areas where harvest density was relatively higher. Dispersal occurred both to and from small islands and the larger Prince of Wales Island, indicating bidirectional as opposed to asymmetrical movement, and the genetic overlap of wolf groups demonstrates connectivity throughout this naturally patchy system. Island ecosystems have different predator-prey dynamics and recolonization processes than large, intact systems due to their isolation and restricted sizes; thus, a better understanding of the degree of population connectivity including dispersal patterns among islands in the Prince of Wales archipelago could help inform the management and research strategies of these wolves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gretchen H. Roffler
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Division of Wildlife Conservation, Douglas, AK 99824, USA
| | - Kristine L. Pilgrim
- National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation, Rocky Mountain Research Station, USDA Forest Service, Missoula, MT 59802, USA;
| | - Benjamin C. Williams
- Auke Bay Laboratories, Alaska Fisheries Science Center, National Marine Fisheries Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Juneau, AK 99801, USA;
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2
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Hope AG, Headlee KM, Olson ZH, Wiens BJ. Systematics, biogeography and phylogenomics of northern bog lemmings (Cricetidae), cold-temperate rodents of conservation concern under global change. SYST BIODIVERS 2023; 21:2237050. [PMID: 38523662 PMCID: PMC10959253 DOI: 10.1080/14772000.2023.2237050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/26/2024]
Abstract
Northern bog lemmings, Mictomys (Synaptomys) borealis, are currently being assessed for protections under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. A major impediment to comprehensive evaluation is a deficiency of data towards understanding the biology of these rodents. Inherent rarity and scarce specimen sampling, despite a continent-wide distribution, has precluded our ability to implement modern methods for resolving taxonomy, evolutionary history, and investigating multiple other species traits. Here we use a maternally inherited locus (mitochondrial cytochrome b) and between 5,939 and 11,513 nuclear loci from reduced representation sequencing (ddRADseq) to investigate the evolutionary history of northern bog lemmings. We 1) qualify evidence based on morphological and early molecular studies for the genus assignment of Mictomys, 2) test the validity of multiple sub-species designations, 3) provide spatial and temporal historical biogeographic perspectives, and 4) discuss how incomplete sampling might influence conservation efforts. Both mitochondrial and nuclear datasets exhibit deep divergence and paraphyly between two recognized species, the northern (Mictomys borealis) and southern (Synaptomys cooperi) bog lemmings. Based on mtDNA, the geographically isolated subspecies (M. b. sphagnicola) was found to be divergent from all other specimens. The remainder of the species exhibited shallow intra-specific differentiation in mtDNA, however nuclear data supports genetic distinction consistent with four geographic subspecies. Recent coalescence of all northern bog lemmings (except for M. b. sphagnicola) reflects divergence in multiple refugia through the last glacial cycle, including a well-known coastal center of endemism and multiple regions south of continental ice-sheets. Regional lineages across North America suggest strong latitudinal displacement with global climate change, coupled with isolation-reconnection dynamics. This taxon suffers from a lack of modern samples through most of its distribution, severely limiting interpretation of ongoing evolutionary processes, particularly in southern portions of the species' range. Limited voucher specimen sampling of vulnerable populations could aid in rigorous conservation decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew G Hope
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
| | - Kaitlyn M Headlee
- Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, Kansas 66506, USA
| | - Zachary H Olson
- School of Social and Behavioral Science, University of New England, Biddeford, Maine 04005, USA
| | - Ben J Wiens
- Biodiversity Institute, University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas 66045, USA
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3
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da Silva Coelho FA, Gill S, Tomlin CM, Papavassiliou M, Farley SD, Cook JA, Sonsthagen SA, Sage GK, Heaton TH, Talbot SL, Lindqvist C. Ancient bears provide insights into Pleistocene ice age refugia in Southeast Alaska. Mol Ecol 2023. [PMID: 37096383 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16960] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2023] [Revised: 03/28/2023] [Accepted: 04/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
During the Late Pleistocene, major parts of North America were periodically covered by ice sheets. However, there are still questions about whether ice-free refugia were present in the Alexander Archipelago along the Southeast (SE) Alaska coast during the last glacial maximum (LGM). Numerous subfossils have been recovered from caves in SE Alaska, including American black (Ursus americanus) and brown (U. arctos) bears, which today are found in the Alexander Archipelago but are genetically distinct from mainland bear populations. Hence, these bear species offer an ideal system to investigate long-term occupation, potential refugial survival and lineage turnover. Here, we present genetic analyses based on 99 new complete mitochondrial genomes from ancient and modern brown and black bears spanning the last ~45,000 years. Black bears form two SE Alaskan subclades, one preglacial and another postglacial, that diverged >100,000 years ago. All postglacial ancient brown bears are closely related to modern brown bears in the archipelago, while a single preglacial brown bear is found in a distantly related clade. A hiatus in the bear subfossil record around the LGM and the deep split of their pre- and postglacial subclades fail to support a hypothesis of continuous occupancy in SE Alaska throughout the LGM for either species. Our results are consistent with an absence of refugia along the SE Alaska coast, but indicate that vegetation quickly expanded after deglaciation, allowing bears to recolonize the area after a short-lived LGM peak.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephanie Gill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | - Crystal M Tomlin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
| | | | - Sean D Farley
- Alaska Department of Fish and Game, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | - Joseph A Cook
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Department of Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Sarah A Sonsthagen
- U.S. Geological Survey, Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, School of Natural Resources, Lincoln, Nebraska, USA
| | - George K Sage
- Far Northwestern Institute of Art and Science, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | - Timothy H Heaton
- Department of Earth Sciences, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, South Dakota, USA
| | - Sandra L Talbot
- Far Northwestern Institute of Art and Science, Anchorage, Alaska, USA
| | - Charlotte Lindqvist
- Department of Biological Sciences, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York, USA
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4
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de Jong MJ, Niamir A, Wolf M, Kitchener AC, Lecomte N, Seryodkin IV, Fain SR, Hagen SB, Saarma U, Janke A. Range-wide whole-genome resequencing of the brown bear reveals drivers of intraspecies divergence. Commun Biol 2023; 6:153. [PMID: 36746982 PMCID: PMC9902616 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-023-04514-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2023] [Indexed: 02/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Population-genomic studies can shed new light on the effect of past demographic processes on contemporary population structure. We reassessed phylogeographical patterns of a classic model species of postglacial recolonisation, the brown bear (Ursus arctos), using a range-wide resequencing dataset of 128 nuclear genomes. In sharp contrast to the erratic geographical distribution of mtDNA and Y-chromosomal haplotypes, autosomal and X-chromosomal multi-locus datasets indicate that brown bear population structure is largely explained by recent population connectivity. Multispecies coalescent based analyses reveal cases where mtDNA haplotype sharing between distant populations, such as between Iberian and southern Scandinavian bears, likely results from incomplete lineage sorting, not from ancestral population structure (i.e., postglacial recolonisation). However, we also argue, using forward-in-time simulations, that gene flow and recombination can rapidly erase genomic evidence of former population structure (such as an ancestral population in Beringia), while this signal is retained by Y-chromosomal and mtDNA, albeit likely distorted. We further suggest that if gene flow is male-mediated, the information loss proceeds faster in autosomes than in X chromosomes. Our findings emphasise that contemporary autosomal genetic structure may reflect recent population dynamics rather than postglacial recolonisation routes, which could contribute to mtDNA and Y-chromosomal discordances.
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Affiliation(s)
- Menno J. de Jong
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Institute (SBiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Strasse 14-16, Frankfurt am Main, 60325 Germany
| | - Aidin Niamir
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Institute (SBiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Strasse 14-16, Frankfurt am Main, 60325 Germany
| | - Magnus Wolf
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Institute (SBiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Strasse 14-16, Frankfurt am Main, 60325 Germany ,grid.7839.50000 0004 1936 9721Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse. 9, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
| | - Andrew C. Kitchener
- grid.422302.50000 0001 0943 6159Department of Natural Sciences, National Museums Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh, EH1 1JF UK ,grid.4305.20000 0004 1936 7988School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh, Drummond Street, Edinburgh, EH8 9XP UK
| | - Nicolas Lecomte
- grid.265686.90000 0001 2175 1792Canada Research Chair in Polar and Boreal Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Moncton, Moncton, New Brunswick E1H1R2 Canada
| | - Ivan V. Seryodkin
- grid.465394.90000 0004 0611 5319Pacific Geographical Institute of the Far Eastern Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences, 7 Radio St., Vladivostok, 690041 Russia
| | - Steven R. Fain
- National Fish & Wildlife Forensic Laboratory, Ashland, OR USA
| | - Snorre B. Hagen
- grid.454322.60000 0004 4910 9859Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Division of Environment and Natural Resources, Svanhovd, N-9925 Svanvik, Norway
| | - Urmas Saarma
- grid.10939.320000 0001 0943 7661Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, J. Liivi 2, Tartu, 50409 Estonia
| | - Axel Janke
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Institute (SBiK-F), Georg-Voigt-Strasse 14-16, Frankfurt am Main, 60325 Germany ,grid.7839.50000 0004 1936 9721Institute for Ecology, Evolution and Diversity, Goethe University, Max-von-Laue-Strasse. 9, Frankfurt am Main, Germany ,grid.511284.b0000 0004 8004 5574LOEWE-Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG), Senckenberg Nature Research Society, Georg-Voigt-Strasse 14-16, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
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5
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Pacheco C, Stronen AV, Jędrzejewska B, Plis K, Okhlopkov IM, Mamaev NV, Drovetski SV, Godinho R. Demography and evolutionary history of grey wolf populations around the Bering Strait. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:4851-4865. [PMID: 35822863 PMCID: PMC9545117 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16613] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2021] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Glacial and interglacial periods throughout the Pleistocene have been substantial drivers of change in species distributions. Earlier analyses suggested that modern grey wolves (Canis lupus) trace their origin to a single Late Pleistocene Beringian population that expanded east and westwards, starting c. 25,000 years ago (ya). Here, we examined the demographic and phylogeographic histories of extant populations around the Bering Strait with wolves from two inland regions of the Russian Far East (RFE) and one coastal and two inland regions of North‐western North America (NNA), genotyped for 91,327 single nucleotide polymorphisms. Our results indicated that RFE and NNA wolves had a common ancestry until c. 34,400 ya, suggesting that these populations started to diverge before the previously proposed expansion out of Beringia. Coastal and inland NNA populations diverged c. 16,000 ya, concordant with the minimum proposed date for the ecological viability of the migration route along the Pacific Northwest coast. Demographic reconstructions for inland RFE and NNA populations reveal spatial and temporal synchrony, with large historical effective population sizes that declined throughout the Pleistocene, possibly reflecting the influence of broadscale climatic changes across continents. In contrast, coastal NNA wolves displayed a consistently lower effective population size than the inland populations. Differences between the demographic history of inland and coastal wolves may have been driven by multiple ecological factors, including historical gene flow patterns, natural landscape fragmentation, and more recent anthropogenic disturbance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Pacheco
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
| | - Astrid Vik Stronen
- Department of Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Ljubljana, Slovenia.,Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Insubria University, Varese, Italy.,Department of Chemistry and Bioscience, Aalborg University, Aalborg, Denmark
| | | | - Kamila Plis
- Mammal Research Institute, Polish Academy of Sciences, Białowieża, Poland
| | - Innokentiy M Okhlopkov
- Institute of Biological Problems of Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia
| | - Nikolay V Mamaev
- Institute of Biological Problems of Cryolithozone, Siberian Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Yakutsk, Russia
| | - Sergei V Drovetski
- Department of Vertebrate Zoology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Raquel Godinho
- CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, InBIO Laboratório Associado, Campus de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal.,Department of Biology, Faculty of Sciences, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal.,BIOPOLIS Program in Genomics, Biodiversity and Land Planning, CIBIO, Campus de Vairão, Vairão, Portugal
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6
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Colella JP, Frederick LM, Talbot SL, Cook JA. Extrinsically reinforced hybrid speciation within Holarctic ermine (
Mustela
spp.) produces an insular endemic. DIVERS DISTRIB 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/ddi.13234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Jocelyn P. Colella
- Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM USA
- Biodiversity Institute University of Kansas Lawrence KS USA
| | - Lindsey M. Frederick
- Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM USA
- New Mexico Museum of Natural History and Science Albuquerque NM USA
| | | | - Joseph A. Cook
- Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology University of New Mexico Albuquerque NM USA
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7
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Grant WS, Bringloe TT. Pleistocene Ice Ages Created New Evolutionary Lineages, but Limited Speciation in Northeast Pacific Winged Kelp. J Hered 2020; 111:593-605. [PMID: 33252684 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esaa053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The extent that Pleistocene climate variability promoted speciation has been much debated. Here, we surveyed genetic markers in winged kelp Alaria in the Gulf of Alaska, Northeast Pacific Ocean to understand how paleoclimates may have influenced diversity in this kelp. The study included wide geographic sampling over 2800 km and large sample sizes compared to previous studies of this kelp. Mitochondrial 5'-COI (664 bp), plastid rbcL-3' (740 bp) and 8 microsatellite markers in 16 populations resolved 5 well-defined lineages. COI-rbcL haplotypes were distributed chaotically among populations around the Gulf of Alaska. Principal Coordinates Analysis of microsatellite genotypes grouped plants largely by organellar lineage instead of geography, indicating reproductive isolation among lineages. However, microsatellite markers detected hybrids at 3 sites where lineages co-occurred. Local adaptation on various time scales may be responsible for some genetic differences between populations located along wave-energy and salinity gradients, but the chaotic pattern of variability over hundreds of kilometers is likely due to isolations in northern refugia during Pleistocene ice ages. The range of divergences between populations indicates that episodic glaciations led to the creation of new lineages, but population turnover (local extinctions and recolonizations) limited the formation of new species in the Northeastern Pacific Ocean.
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Affiliation(s)
- W Stewart Grant
- Genetics Laboratory, Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Anchorage, AK
- College of Fisheries and Ocean Sciences, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Juneau, AK
| | - Trevor T Bringloe
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville Campus, Victoria, Australia
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8
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Lucid M, Cushman S, Robinson L, Kortello A, Hausleitner D, Mowat G, Ehlers S, Gillespie S, Svancara LK, Sullivan J, Rankin A, Paetkau D. Carnivore Contact: A Species Fracture Zone Delineated Amongst Genetically Structured North American Marten Populations ( Martes americana and Martes caurina). Front Genet 2020; 11:735. [PMID: 32754203 PMCID: PMC7370953 DOI: 10.3389/fgene.2020.00735] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/30/2020] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
North American martens are forest dependent, influenced by human activity, and climate vulnerable. They have long been managed and harvested throughout their range as the American marten (Martes americana). Recent work has expanded evidence for the original description of two species in North America — M. americana and the Pacific Coast marten, M. caurina — but the geographic boundary between these groups has not been described in detail. From 2010 to 2016 we deployed 734 multi-taxa winter bait stations across a 53,474 km2 study area spanning seven mountain ranges within the anticipated contact zone along the border of Canada and the United States. We collected marten hair samples and developed genotypes for 15 polymorphic microsatellite loci for 235 individuals, and 493 base-pair sequences of the mtDNA gene COI for 175 of those individuals. Both nuclear and mitochondrial genetic structure identified a sharp break across the Clark Fork Valley, United States with M. americana and M. caurina occurring north and south of the break, respectively. We estimated global effective population size (Ne) for each mountain range, clinal genetic neighborhood sizes (NS), calculated observed (Ho) and expected (He) heterozygosity, fixation index (FST), and clinal measures of allelic richness (Ar), Ho, and inbreeding coefficient (FIS). Despite substantial genetic structure, we detected hybridization along the fracture zone with both contemporary (nuclear DNA) and historic (mtDNA) gene flow. Marten populations in our study area are highly structured and the break across the fracture zone being the largest documented in North America (FST range 0.21–0.34, mean = 0.27). With the exception of the Coeur d’Alene Mountains, marten were well distributed across higher elevation portions of our sampling area. Clinal NS values were variable suggesting substantial heterogeneity in marten density and movement. For both M. americana and M. caurina, elevationaly dependent gene flow and high genetic population structure suggest that connectivity corridors will be important to ensuring long-term population persistence. Our study is an example of how a combination of global and clinal molecular data analyses can provide important information for natural resource management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Lucid
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Coeur d'Alene, ID, United States
| | - Sam Cushman
- US Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Flagstaff, AZ, United States
| | - Lacy Robinson
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Coeur d'Alene, ID, United States.,Rainforest Ecological, Sandpoint, ID, United States
| | | | | | - Garth Mowat
- British Columbia Ministry of the Environment, Nelson, BC, Canada
| | - Shannon Ehlers
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Coeur d'Alene, ID, United States.,Kootenai Tribe of Idaho, Bonners Ferry, ID, United States
| | | | - Leona K Svancara
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game, Coeur d'Alene, ID, United States
| | - Jack Sullivan
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States
| | - Andrew Rankin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, United States
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9
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Lewis T, Roffler G, Crupi A, Maraj R, Barten N. Unraveling the mystery of the glacier bear: Genetic population structure of black bears ( Ursus americanus) within the range of a rare pelage type. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:7654-7668. [PMID: 32760555 PMCID: PMC7391538 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6490] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/27/2020] [Revised: 05/15/2020] [Accepted: 05/20/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Glacier bears are a rare grey color morph of American black bear (Ursus americanus) found only in northern Southeast Alaska and a small portion of western Canada. We examine contemporary genetic population structure of black bears within the geographic extent of glacier bears and explore how this structure relates to pelage color and landscape features of a recently glaciated and highly fragmented landscape. We used existing radiocollar data to quantify black bear home-range size within the geographic range of glacier bears. The mean home-range size of female black bears in the study area was 13 km2 (n = 11), whereas the home range of a single male was 86.9 km2. We genotyped 284 bears using 21 microsatellites extracted from noninvasively collected hair as well as tissue samples from harvested bears. We found ten populations of black bears in the study area, including several new populations not previously identified, divided largely by geographic features such as glaciers and marine fjords. Glacier bears were assigned to four populations found on the north and east side of Lynn Canal and the north and west side of Glacier Bay with a curious absence in the nonglaciated peninsula between. Lack of genetic relatedness and geographic continuity between black bear populations containing glacier bears suggest a possible unsampled population or an association with ice fields. Further investigation is needed to determine the genetic basis and the adaptive and evolutionary significance of the glacier bear color morph to help focus black bear conservation management to maximize and preserve genetic diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tania Lewis
- Glacier Bay National Park and PreserveGustavusAKUSA
| | - Gretchen Roffler
- Division of Wildlife ConservationAlaska Department of Fish and GameDouglasAKUSA
| | - Anthony Crupi
- Division of Wildlife ConservationAlaska Department of Fish and GameDouglasAKUSA
| | - Ramona Maraj
- Faculty of Environmental DesignUniversity of CalgaryCalgaryABCanada
| | - Neil Barten
- Division of Wildlife ConservationAlaska Department of Fish and GameDillinghamAKUSA
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10
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Liphardt SW, Kang HJ, Dizney LJ, Ruedas LA, Cook JA, Yanagihara R. Complex History of Codiversification and Host Switching of a Newfound Soricid-Borne Orthohantavirus in North America. Viruses 2019; 11:v11070637. [PMID: 31373319 PMCID: PMC6669566 DOI: 10.3390/v11070637] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2019] [Revised: 07/05/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Orthohantaviruses are tightly linked to the ecology and evolutionary history of their mammalian hosts. We hypothesized that in regions with dramatic climate shifts throughout the Quaternary, orthohantavirus diversity and evolution are shaped by dynamic host responses to environmental change through processes such as host isolation, host switching, and reassortment. Jemez Springs virus (JMSV), an orthohantavirus harbored by the dusky shrew (Sorex monticola) and five close relatives distributed widely in western North America, was used to test this hypothesis. Total RNAs, extracted from liver or lung tissue from 164 shrews collected from western North America during 1983–2007, were analyzed for orthohantavirus RNA by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Phylogenies inferred from the L-, M-, and S-segment sequences of 30 JMSV strains were compared with host mitochondrial cytochrome b. Viral clades largely corresponded to host clades, which were primarily structured by geography and were consistent with hypothesized post-glacial expansion. Despite an overall congruence between host and viral gene phylogenies at deeper scales, phylogenetic signals were recovered that also suggested a complex pattern of host switching and at least one reassortment event in the evolutionary history of JMSV. A fundamental understanding of how orthohantaviruses respond to periods of host population expansion, contraction, and secondary host contact is the key to establishing a framework for both more comprehensive understanding of orthohantavirus evolutionary dynamics and broader insights into host–pathogen systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Schuyler W Liphardt
- Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.
| | - Hae Ji Kang
- Department of Pediatrics, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA
| | - Laurie J Dizney
- Department of Biology, University of Portland, Portland, OR 97203, USA
| | - Luis A Ruedas
- Department of Biology and Museum of Vertebrate Biology, Portland State University, Portland, OR 97207-0751, USA
| | - Joseph A Cook
- Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA
| | - Richard Yanagihara
- Department of Pediatrics, John A. Burns School of Medicine, University of Hawaii at Manoa, Honolulu, HI 96813, USA.
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