Date: March 6, 2019
Source: University of Wyoming
Translocation
is an important management tool that has been used for more than 50 years to
increase bighorn sheep population numbers in Arizona and to restore herds to
suitable habitat throughout their historical range. Yet, translocation also can
alter the underlying genetic diversity and spatial structure of managed
wildlife species in both beneficial and detrimental ways.
A
University of Wyoming researcher led a seven-year study to evaluate the
long-term impact of translocation actions on bighorn sheep. From 2005-2012, the
research group characterized statewide genetic structure and diversity by using
microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA data in 16 indigenous and translocated
bighorn sheep populations in Arizona.
"Our
study showed that it is possible to re-establish bighorn sheep populations
without a reduction of gene diversity over a short period and without erosion
of ancestral lineage," says Holly Ernest, a UW professor of wildlife
genomics and disease ecology, and the Wyoming Excellence Chair in Disease
Ecology in the Department of Veterinary Sciences and the Program in Ecology.
Ernest
was the senior and corresponding author of a paper, titled "Genetic
Outcomes of Translocation of Bighorn Sheep in Arizona," that was published
today (March 6) in the Journal of Wildlife Management. The journal
publishes manuscripts containing information from original research that contributes
to basic wildlife science. Suitable topics include investigations into the
biology and ecology of wildlife and their habitats that have direct or indirect
implications for wildlife management and conservation.
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