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Genetic analysis of a black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) metapopulation within shortgrass steppe

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dc.contributor.authorRoach, Jen L., author
dc.contributor.authorVan Horne, Beatrice, advisor
dc.contributor.authorAntolin, Michael F., advisor
dc.contributor.authorWilson, Kenneth R. (Kenneth Ray), committee member
dc.date.accessioned2007-01-03T06:31:02Z
dc.date.available2007-01-03T06:31:02Z
dc.date.issued1999
dc.description.abstractBlack-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) in shortgrass steppe currently exist as a metapopulation. Habitat alteration, recreational shooting, agricultural control, and most recently, the introduction of sylvatic plague (Yersinia pestis) have contributed to local colony extinction and a steady decline of C. ludovicianus from its large and continuous historical range. Difficulties in quantifying dispersal have complicated efforts to document the degree of connectedness between isolated colonies. However, patterns of genetic similarity among populations, as measured by neutral molecular markers, provide an estimate of the degree of linkage within a metapopulation. We sampled 13 black-tailed prairie dog colonies in shortgrass steppe in Weld County, Colorado. The history of extinctions and recolonizations of the 13 colonies during the past 18 years is known. We examined 153 prairie dogs for variation at seven microsatelite loci and found moderate levels of genetic differentiation among prairie-dog populations (FST = 0.118). Akaike's Information Criterion was used to model prairie-dog dispersal as a function of genetic distance. Pairwise genetic distances between populations were related to both the distances along drainages (potential dispersal corridors), and to the relative ages of the populations. Cluster analysis revealed that prairie-dog populations are not more closely related to nearest neighbors than to other populations, indicating that populations are not in genetic drift-migration equilibrium and that prairie dogs are likely to disperse among all populations.
dc.format.mediummasters theses
dc.identifier1999_Summer_Roach_Jen.pdf
dc.identifierETDF1999400027BIOL
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10217/82137
dc.languageEnglish
dc.language.isoeng
dc.publisherColorado State University. Libraries
dc.relationCatalog record number (MMS ID): 991007528649703361
dc.relationQL737.R68.R62 1999
dc.relation.ispartof1980-1999
dc.relation.referencesSGS-LTER Genetic Structure of Metapopulations of Black-Tailed Prairie Dogs on the Central Plains Experimental Range and Pawnee National Grassland in Nunn, Colorado, USA 1997-1998. http://hdl.handle.net/10217/83465
dc.rightsCopyright and other restrictions may apply. User is responsible for compliance with all applicable laws. For information about copyright law, please see https://libguides.colostate.edu/copyright.
dc.subjectBlack-tailed prairie dog -- Dispersal
dc.subjectPopulation biology
dc.titleGenetic analysis of a black-tailed prairie dog (Cynomys ludovicianus) metapopulation within shortgrass steppe
dc.typeText
dcterms.rights.dplaThis Item is protected by copyright and/or related rights (https://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/). You are free to use this Item in any way that is permitted by the copyright and related rights legislation that applies to your use. For other uses you need to obtain permission from the rights-holder(s).
thesis.degree.disciplineBiology
thesis.degree.grantorColorado State University
thesis.degree.levelMasters
thesis.degree.nameMaster of Science (M.S.)

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