Connectivity of prairie dog colonies in an altered landscape: inferences from analysis of microsatellite DNA variation |
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Authors: | Loren C Sackett Todd B Cross Ryan T Jones Whitney C Johnson Kimberly Ballare Chris Ray Sharon K Collinge Andrew P Martin |
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Institution: | (1) Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA;(2) USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, 800 East Beckwith Ave, Missoula, MT 59801, USA;(3) Present address: Faculty of Agriculture, Food, and Natural Resources, University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia;(4) Environmental Studies Program, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO 80309, USA;(5) Boulder Open Space and Mountain Parks, 66 Cherryvale Rd, Boulder, CO 80303, USA |
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Abstract: | Connectivity of populations influences the degree to which species maintain genetic diversity and persist despite local extinctions.
Natural landscape features are known to influence connectivity, but global anthropogenic landscape change underscores the
importance of quantifying how human-modified landscapes disrupt connectivity of natural populations. Grasslands of western
North America have experienced extensive habitat alteration, fragmenting populations of species such as black-tailed prairie
dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus). Population sizes and the geographic range of prairie dogs have been declining for over a century due to habitat loss, disease,
and eradication efforts. In many places, prairie dogs have persisted in the face of emerging urban landscapes that carve habitat
into smaller and smaller fragments separated by uninhabitable areas. In extreme cases, prairie dog colonies are completely
bounded by urbanization. Connectivity is particularly important for prairie dogs because colonies suffer high probabilities
of extirpation by plague, and dispersal permits recolonization. Here we explore connectivity of prairie dog populations using
analyses of 11 microsatellite loci for 9 prairie dog colonies spanning the fragmented landscape of Boulder County, Colorado.
Isolation-by-resistance modeling suggests that wetlands and high intensity urbanization limit movement of prairie dogs. However,
prairie dogs appear to move moderately well through low intensity development (including roads) and freely through cropland
and grassland. Additionally, there is a marked decline in gene flow between colonies with increasing geographic distance,
indicating isolation by distance even in an altered landscape. Our results suggest that prairie dog colonies retain some connectivity
despite fragmentation by urbanization and agricultural development. |
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