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Finch D, Schofield H, Firth JA, Mathews F. Social networks of the greater horseshoe bat during the hibernation season: a landscape-scale case study. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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2
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Walker BL. Resource selection by greater sage‐grouse varies by season and infrastructure type in a Colorado oil and gas field. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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3
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Zimmerman SJ, Aldridge CL, Hooten MB, Oyler-McCance SJ. Scale-dependent influence of the sagebrush community on genetic connectivity of the sagebrush obligate Gunnison sage-grouse. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:3267-3285. [PMID: 35501946 PMCID: PMC9325045 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/07/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2022] [Accepted: 04/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Habitat fragmentation and degradation impacts an organism's ability to navigate the landscape, ultimately resulting in decreased gene flow and increased extinction risk. Understanding how landscape composition impacts gene flow (i.e., connectivity) and interacts with scale is essential to conservation decision‐making. We used a landscape genetics approach implementing a recently developed statistical model based on the generalized Wishart probability distribution to identify the primary landscape features affecting gene flow and estimate the degree to which each component influences connectivity for Gunnison sage‐grouse (Centrocercus minimus). We were interested in two spatial scales: among distinct populations rangewide and among leks (i.e., breeding grounds) within the largest population, Gunnison Basin. Populations and leks are nested within a landscape fragmented by rough terrain and anthropogenic features, although requisite sagebrush habitat is more contiguous within populations. Our best fit models for each scale confirm the importance of sagebrush habitat in connectivity, although the important sagebrush characteristics differ. For Gunnison Basin, taller shrubs and higher quality nesting habitat were the primary drivers of connectivity, while more sagebrush cover and less conifer cover facilitated connectivity rangewide. Our findings support previous assumptions that Gunnison sage‐grouse range contraction is largely the result of habitat loss and degradation. Importantly, we report direct estimates of resistance for landscape components that can be used to create resistance surfaces for prioritization of specific locations for conservation or management (i.e., habitat preservation, restoration, or development) or as we demonstrated, can be combined with simulation techniques to predict impacts to connectivity from potential management actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawna J Zimmerman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Cameron L Aldridge
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
| | - Mevin B Hooten
- Department of Statistics and Data Sciences, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Sara J Oyler-McCance
- U.S. Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA
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Butler AR, Bly KLS, Harris H, Inman RM, Moehrenschlager A, Schwalm D, Jachowski DS. Home range size and resource use by swift foxes in northeastern Montana. J Mammal 2020; 101:684-696. [PMID: 32665740 PMCID: PMC7333881 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyaa030] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2019] [Accepted: 03/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Swift foxes (Vulpes velox) are endemic to the Great Plains of North America, but were extirpated from the northern portion of their range by the mid-1900s. Despite several reintroductions to the Northern Great Plains, there remains a ~350 km range gap between the swift fox population along the Montana and Canada border and that in northeastern Wyoming and northwestern South Dakota. A better understanding of what resources swift foxes use along the Montana and Canada border region will assist managers to facilitate connectivity among populations. From 2016 to 2018, we estimated the home range size and evaluated resource use within the home ranges of 22 swift foxes equipped with Global Positioning System tracking collars in northeastern Montana. Swift fox home ranges in our study were some of the largest ever recorded, averaging (± SE) 42.0 km2 ± 4.7. Our results indicate that both environmental and anthropogenic factors influenced resource use. At the population level, resource use increased by 3.3% for every 5.0% increase in percent grasslands. Relative probability of use decreased by 7.9% and 7.4% for every kilometer away from unpaved roads and gas well sites, respectively, and decreased by 3.0% and 11.3% for every one-unit increase in topographic roughness and every 0.05 increase in normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI), respectively. Our study suggests that, to reestablish connectivity among swift fox populations in Montana, managers should aim to maintain large corridors of contiguous grasslands at a landscape scale, a process that likely will require having to work with multiple property owners.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew R Butler
- Prairie Ecology Lab, Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
| | - Kristy L S Bly
- Northern Great Plains Program, World Wildlife Fund, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | | | | | - Axel Moehrenschlager
- Centre for Conservation Research, Calgary Zoological Society, Calgary, AB, Canada
| | - Donelle Schwalm
- Department of Biology, University of Maine-Farmington, Farmington, ME, USA
| | - David S Jachowski
- Prairie Ecology Lab, Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, USA
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Zimmerman SJ, Aldridge CL, Oh KP, Cornman RS, Oyler‐McCance SJ. Signatures of adaptive divergence among populations of an avian species of conservation concern. Evol Appl 2019; 12:1661-1677. [PMID: 31462921 PMCID: PMC6708427 DOI: 10.1111/eva.12825] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2018] [Revised: 05/23/2019] [Accepted: 05/24/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the genetic underpinning of adaptive divergence among populations is a key goal of evolutionary biology and conservation. Gunnison sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) is a sagebrush obligate species with a constricted range consisting of seven discrete populations, each with distinctly different habitat and climatic conditions. Though geographically close, populations have low levels of natural gene flow resulting in relatively high levels of differentiation. Here, we use 15,033 SNP loci in genomic outlier analyses, genotype-environment association analyses, and gene ontology enrichment tests to examine patterns of putatively adaptive genetic differentiation in an avian species of conservation concern. We found 411 loci within 5 kbp of 289 putative genes associated with biological functions or pathways that were overrepresented in the assemblage of outlier SNPs. The identified gene set was enriched for cytochrome P450 gene family members (CYP4V2, CYP2R1, CYP2C23B, CYP4B1) and could impact metabolism of plant secondary metabolites, a critical challenge for sagebrush obligates. Additionally, the gene set was also enriched with members potentially involved in antiviral response (DEAD box helicase gene family and SETX). Our results provide a first look at local adaption for isolated populations of a single species and suggest adaptive divergence in multiple metabolic and biochemical pathways may be occurring. This information can be useful in managing this species of conservation concern, for example, to identify unique populations to conserve, avoid translocation or release of individuals that may swamp locally adapted genetic diversity, or guide habitat restoration efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shawna J. Zimmerman
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University in Cooperation with U.S. Geological SurveyFort Collins Science CenterFort CollinsColorado
| | - Cameron L. Aldridge
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University in Cooperation with U.S. Geological SurveyFort Collins Science CenterFort CollinsColorado
| | - Kevin P. Oh
- U.S. Geological SurveyFort Collins Science CenterFort CollinsColorado
| | - Robert S. Cornman
- U.S. Geological SurveyFort Collins Science CenterFort CollinsColorado
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Newton RE, Tack JD, Carlson JC, Matchett MR, Fargey PJ, Naugle DE. Longest sage-grouse migratory behavior sustained by intact pathways. J Wildl Manage 2017. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.21274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca E. Newton
- Wildlife Biology Program; University of Montana; 32 Campus Drive Missoula MT 59812 USA
| | - Jason D. Tack
- Wildlife Biology Program; University of Montana; 32 Campus Drive Missoula MT 59812 USA
| | - John C. Carlson
- Montana/Dakotas State Office; Bureau of Land Management; 5001 Southgate Drive Billings MT 59101 USA
| | - Marc R. Matchett
- Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge; U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service; 333 Airport Road Lewistown MT 59457 USA
| | - Pat J. Fargey
- Alberta Fish and Wildlife Policy Branch; Edmonton Alberta T5K 2M4 Canada
| | - David E. Naugle
- Wildlife Biology Program; University of Montana; 32 Campus Drive Missoula MT 59812 USA
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Steen DA, Barrett K. Should states in the USA value species at the edge of their geographic range? J Wildl Manage 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David A. Steen
- Department of Biological Sciences; 1090 South Donahue Drive; Auburn University, Auburn; AL 36849 USA
| | - Kyle Barrett
- Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation; 261 Lehotsky Hall; Clemson University; Clemson SC 29631 USA
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Jachowski DS, Kesler DC, Steen DA, Walters JR. Redefining baselines in endangered species recovery. J Wildl Manage 2014. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.800] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David S. Jachowski
- School of Agricultural, Forest, and Environmental Sciences; Clemson University; 258 Lehotsky Hall Clemson SC 29634 USA
| | - Dylan C. Kesler
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences; University of Missouri; 302 Natural Resources Building Columbia MO 65211 USA
| | - David A. Steen
- Alabama Natural Heritage Program; Department of Biological Sciences; Auburn University; 1090 South Donahue Drive Auburn AL 36849 USA
| | - Jeffrey R. Walters
- Department of Biological Sciences; Virginia Tech, Blacksburg; 1405 Perry Street VA 24061 USA
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Arkle RS, Pilliod DS, Hanser SE, Brooks ML, Chambers JC, Grace JB, Knutson KC, Pyke DA, Welty JL, Wirth TA. Quantifying restoration effectiveness using multi-scale habitat models: implications for sage-grouse in the Great Basin. Ecosphere 2014. [DOI: 10.1890/es13-00278.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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Harju SM, Olson CV, Dzialak MR, Mudd JP, Winstead JB. A flexible approach for assessing functional landscape connectivity, with application to greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus). PLoS One 2013; 8:e82271. [PMID: 24349241 PMCID: PMC3862619 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0082271] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2013] [Accepted: 10/29/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Connectivity of animal populations is an increasingly prominent concern in fragmented landscapes, yet existing methodological and conceptual approaches implicitly assume the presence of, or need for, discrete corridors. We tested this assumption by developing a flexible conceptual approach that does not assume, but allows for, the presence of discrete movement corridors. We quantified functional connectivity habitat for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) across a large landscape in central western North America. We assigned sample locations to a movement state (encamped, traveling and relocating), and used Global Positioning System (GPS) location data and conditional logistic regression to estimate state-specific resource selection functions. Patterns of resource selection during different movement states reflected selection for sagebrush and general avoidance of rough topography and anthropogenic features. Distinct connectivity corridors were not common in the 5,625 km(2) study area. Rather, broad areas functioned as generally high or low quality connectivity habitat. A comprehensive map predicting the quality of connectivity habitat across the study area validated well based on a set of GPS locations from independent greater sage-grouse. The functional relationship between greater sage-grouse and the landscape did not always conform to the idea of a discrete corridor. A more flexible consideration of landscape connectivity may improve the efficacy of management actions by aligning those actions with the spatial patterns by which animals interact with the landscape.
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Affiliation(s)
- Seth M. Harju
- Hayden-Wing Associates LLC, Natural Resource Consultants, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Chad V. Olson
- Hayden-Wing Associates LLC, Natural Resource Consultants, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Matthew R. Dzialak
- Hayden-Wing Associates LLC, Natural Resource Consultants, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - James P. Mudd
- Hayden-Wing Associates LLC, Natural Resource Consultants, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
| | - Jeff B. Winstead
- Hayden-Wing Associates LLC, Natural Resource Consultants, Laramie, Wyoming, United States of America
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