| POPULATION GENETICS OF BIGHORN SHEEP (OVIS CANADENSIS) IN ARIZONA FOLLOWING DECADES OF TRANSLOCATION MANAGEMENT | |||
| Daphne A Gille; California Department of Fish & Wildlife; Daphne.Gille@wildlife.ca.gov; Michael R. Buchalski, Dave Conrad, Esther S. Rubin, Amber M. Munig, Brian Wakeling, Clinton W. Epps, Tyler G. Creech, Rachel Crowhurst, Brandon Holton, Ryan Monello, Walter Boyce; Cecilia Penedo; Holly Ernest | |||
| Translocation has proven to be an effective tool in promoting re-establishment of populations of bighorn sheep (Ovis canadensis) throughout the southwestern United States following severe decline due to anthropogenic factors. However, the genetic consequences of over half a century of translocation management in Arizona are largely unknown. Here, we used microsatellite and mitochondrial DNA markers to estimate intra- and inter-population genetic parameters in 16 indigenous and translocated bighorn sheep populations statewide. We found no reduction in genetic diversity between translocated and source populations from which we had samples. Assignment tests confirmed the presence of three lineages of bighorn sheep (two desert: O. c. nelsoni and O. c. mexicana, and one Rocky Mountain: O. c. canadensis) in Arizona and revealed hierarchical structure within each of the two desert lineages. Two O. c. nelsoni metapopulations representing herds from the Black Mountains and Grand Canyon were detected in northern Arizona while two O. c. mexicana metapopulations representing herds from the Kofa Mountains range and the area below highway I-8 were identified in the southern part of the state. To preserve genetic integrity and local adaptation in bighorn sheep in Arizona, our results suggest a departure from current management strategies and that translocation should occur only within these genetically differentiated metapopulations. | |||
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