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13 February 2019 Evaluation of genetic change from translocation among Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus) populations
Shawna J. Zimmerman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Anthony D. Apa, Sara J. Oyler-McCance
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Abstract

Maintenance of genetic diversity is important for conserving species, especially those with fragmented habitats or ranges. In the absence of natural dispersal, translocation can be used to achieve this goal, although the success of translocation can be difficult to measure. Here we evaluate genetic change following translocation in Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus), a species reduced to 7 discrete populations with low levels of gene flow and high levels of genetic differentiation. Between 2000 and 2014, 306 birds from the largest and most genetically diverse population (Gunnison Basin) were translocated to 5 much smaller satellite populations to augment local population size and increase genetic diversity. Although the magnitude of the effect varied by population, we found evidence of increased genetic variation, decreased genetic differentiation from Gunnison Basin, and reproduction between translocated individuals and resident birds. These results suggest that translocations are impacting satellite populations, with current data providing a new baseline for genetic diversity among populations of this imperiled species.

Published by Oxford University Press for the American Ornithological Society 2019. This work is written by (a) US Government employee(s) and is in the public domain in the US.
Shawna J. Zimmerman, Cameron L. Aldridge, Anthony D. Apa, and Sara J. Oyler-McCance "Evaluation of genetic change from translocation among Gunnison Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus minimus) populations," The Condor 121(1), 1-14, (13 February 2019). https://doi.org/10.1093/condor/duy006
Received: 12 June 2018; Accepted: 29 November 2018; Published: 13 February 2019
KEYWORDS
Centrocercus minimus
conservation genetics
genetic differentiation
neutral genetic diversity
translocation
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