Dissertation Research: Phylogeography of Tympanuchus Cupido

University Of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, Milwaukee WI

Investigators

Abstract

Habitat fragmentation and small population size may lead to a decrease in genetic variation and, consequently, the long-term viability of populations. New molecular genetic techniques have been developed to identify changes in genetic variation over time from contemporary samples. However, these techniques have rarely been tested in species in which both historic and contemporary patterns of genetic variation are known. This research will examine the power of these techniques to reconstruct historic patterns of genetic variation in greater prairie chickens, a species of grouse that formerly occurred throughout the prairies of midwestern North America and is now found in fragmented populations, some of which are threatened with extinction. Historic patterns of genetic variation will be obtained from mitochondrial DNA sequences of museum specimens collected prior to habitat fragmentation and population decline (1872-1950). These will be compared to already analyzed sequences from contemporary populations. This analysis of both contemporary and historic populations will provide empirical support for several critical assumptions of new molecular techniques and an extraordinarily detailed picture of population processes during the decline of a threatened species. From a conservation perspective, this information will also be essential for delineating management units and identifying populations that may be suitable for translocation programs.