Phylogeography and Non-invasive Molecular Monitoring of Coyote (Canis Latrans) and Gray Fox (Urocyon Cinereoargenteus) in Northern Virginia and the Eastern United States PDF Download
Are you looking for read ebook online? Search for your book and save it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Download Phylogeography and Non-invasive Molecular Monitoring of Coyote (Canis Latrans) and Gray Fox (Urocyon Cinereoargenteus) in Northern Virginia and the Eastern United States PDF full book. Access full book title Phylogeography and Non-invasive Molecular Monitoring of Coyote (Canis Latrans) and Gray Fox (Urocyon Cinereoargenteus) in Northern Virginia and the Eastern United States by Christine A. Bozarth. Download full books in PDF and EPUB format.
Author: Christine A. Bozarth Publisher: ISBN: Category : Canidae Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
Molecular tools allow us to answer ecological questions about some of the most intriguing animals, including North America's native gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and Northern Virginia's recent colonist, the coyote (Canis latrans). This dissertation is divided into four independent chapters, cohered by the common theme of molecular ecology of North American canids. The first chapter details a phylogeographical study of the gray fox, a widespread, but understudied, canid species. Fossil and historic records indicate that gray foxes were not present in the Northeastern United States until well after the Pleistocene (c. 900AD). To test the hypothesis that gray foxes experienced a post-Pleistocene range expansion, I sequenced a variable portion of the mitochondrial control region from gray fox tissue samples representing the range of all three East coast subspecies. Phylogeographic analyses indicated no clear pattern of genetic structuring of gray fox haplotypes across most of the Eastern United States. However, when haplotype frequencies were subdivided into a "Northeastern" and a "Southern" region, I detected a strong signal of differentiation between the Northeast and the rest of the Eastern United States. Indicators of molecular diversity and tests for demographic expansion confirmed this division and suggested a recent expansion of gray foxes into the Northeast. My results support the hypothesis that gray foxes first colonized the Northeast during a historic period of hemisphere-wide warming, which coincided with the range expansion of deciduous forest. The second chapter describes a novel method to genetically identify canid species from scat (feces) found in the field. I used a short fragment of the mitochondrial control region that is a different length in kit fox (Vulpes macrotis), red fox (V. vulpes), gray fox, coyote, and dog (C. familiaris) to differentiate their scat without using multiple primer sets, real-time PCR, or restriction enzyme digestion. All canid species included are potentially sympatric at the study site utilized in the following two chapters (Marine Corps Base Quantico, MCBQ and adjacent Prince William Forest Park, PWFP) except the kit fox. I extensively tested this technique using published and novel control region sequences and then applied it to two large scat data sets collected in California and Virginia (at MCBQ/PWFP). In the third chapter, I incorporate haplotype and genotype data obtained non-invasively from coyotes at MCBQ/PWFP into a regional analysis of patterns of coyote colonization across the Eastern United States. Coyotes have undergone a dramatic range expansion across North America since the early 19th century, colonizing east of the Mississippi River in two routes that have converged in the mid-Atlantic region in the past few decades. Notably, coyotes utilizing the Northern route of expansion show molecular evidence of admixture with the Great Lakes wolf (GLW). The study site at MCBQ/PWFP is located at the heart of the convergence of these two fronts. I screened scats collected at MCBQ/PWFP for species identification, then sequenced a hypervariable fragment of the mitochondrial control region to assign haplotype, and then used six microsatellite loci to identify individuals. I detected seven haplotypes (in 39 individuals), all of which have been previously reported in diverse surrounding geographic localities. Phylogeographic analyses indicated multiple sources of colonization of Northern Virginia and one common haplotype detected is of GLW origin, indicating the presence of admixed coyote/GLW individuals from the North. In the final chapter, I use the non-invasively collected genotype data to describe population demographics at MCBQ. I describe a population with low relatedness and minimal population genetic structure, reflective of the multiple geographic sources of colonization as described in the previous chapter. To estimate population density and size, I used a new class of spatially explicit capturerecapture models that address two key concerns of large carnivore demographic studies: violation of population closure and potentially sparse data sets. These models incorporate spatial data to eliminate the need for post hoc buffering and also use a Bayesian framework to effectively deal with a small sample size. Collectively, these studies are a significant contribution to the development and usage of non-invasive molecular technology, as well as to our understanding of phylogeography and population genetics of North American canids.
Author: Christine A. Bozarth Publisher: ISBN: Category : Canidae Languages : en Pages : 0
Book Description
Molecular tools allow us to answer ecological questions about some of the most intriguing animals, including North America's native gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and Northern Virginia's recent colonist, the coyote (Canis latrans). This dissertation is divided into four independent chapters, cohered by the common theme of molecular ecology of North American canids. The first chapter details a phylogeographical study of the gray fox, a widespread, but understudied, canid species. Fossil and historic records indicate that gray foxes were not present in the Northeastern United States until well after the Pleistocene (c. 900AD). To test the hypothesis that gray foxes experienced a post-Pleistocene range expansion, I sequenced a variable portion of the mitochondrial control region from gray fox tissue samples representing the range of all three East coast subspecies. Phylogeographic analyses indicated no clear pattern of genetic structuring of gray fox haplotypes across most of the Eastern United States. However, when haplotype frequencies were subdivided into a "Northeastern" and a "Southern" region, I detected a strong signal of differentiation between the Northeast and the rest of the Eastern United States. Indicators of molecular diversity and tests for demographic expansion confirmed this division and suggested a recent expansion of gray foxes into the Northeast. My results support the hypothesis that gray foxes first colonized the Northeast during a historic period of hemisphere-wide warming, which coincided with the range expansion of deciduous forest. The second chapter describes a novel method to genetically identify canid species from scat (feces) found in the field. I used a short fragment of the mitochondrial control region that is a different length in kit fox (Vulpes macrotis), red fox (V. vulpes), gray fox, coyote, and dog (C. familiaris) to differentiate their scat without using multiple primer sets, real-time PCR, or restriction enzyme digestion. All canid species included are potentially sympatric at the study site utilized in the following two chapters (Marine Corps Base Quantico, MCBQ and adjacent Prince William Forest Park, PWFP) except the kit fox. I extensively tested this technique using published and novel control region sequences and then applied it to two large scat data sets collected in California and Virginia (at MCBQ/PWFP). In the third chapter, I incorporate haplotype and genotype data obtained non-invasively from coyotes at MCBQ/PWFP into a regional analysis of patterns of coyote colonization across the Eastern United States. Coyotes have undergone a dramatic range expansion across North America since the early 19th century, colonizing east of the Mississippi River in two routes that have converged in the mid-Atlantic region in the past few decades. Notably, coyotes utilizing the Northern route of expansion show molecular evidence of admixture with the Great Lakes wolf (GLW). The study site at MCBQ/PWFP is located at the heart of the convergence of these two fronts. I screened scats collected at MCBQ/PWFP for species identification, then sequenced a hypervariable fragment of the mitochondrial control region to assign haplotype, and then used six microsatellite loci to identify individuals. I detected seven haplotypes (in 39 individuals), all of which have been previously reported in diverse surrounding geographic localities. Phylogeographic analyses indicated multiple sources of colonization of Northern Virginia and one common haplotype detected is of GLW origin, indicating the presence of admixed coyote/GLW individuals from the North. In the final chapter, I use the non-invasively collected genotype data to describe population demographics at MCBQ. I describe a population with low relatedness and minimal population genetic structure, reflective of the multiple geographic sources of colonization as described in the previous chapter. To estimate population density and size, I used a new class of spatially explicit capturerecapture models that address two key concerns of large carnivore demographic studies: violation of population closure and potentially sparse data sets. These models incorporate spatial data to eliminate the need for post hoc buffering and also use a Bayesian framework to effectively deal with a small sample size. Collectively, these studies are a significant contribution to the development and usage of non-invasive molecular technology, as well as to our understanding of phylogeography and population genetics of North American canids.
Author: Cassie Ann Kirk Publisher: ISBN: Category : Coyote Languages : en Pages : 116
Book Description
The coyote (Canis latrans) is one of the top predators in the state of Texas. They have been able to adapt to urbanization and continue to thrive in the wild. The coyote is also considered a top down keystone species. As such, coyote management can influence how other species are managed. Female coyotes can become sexually mature once they experience their first estrus cycle in the first year of life. Gray foxes (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) occur throughout Texas. Both male and female gray foxes can attain sexual maturity at an early age. Females on average breed for the first time at about 9-10 months of age. A better understanding of the age structure and survival rate of both species, we can better understand how many possible individuals we have that will be in prime breeding age, and how exploitation of the species may be effecting structure of the population. Given that both species are harvested in predator hunts and nuisance animal situations, I wanted to explore age structure and survival of coyotes and gray foxes in western Texas. I collected the lower canine tooth from 378 coyotes from the Panhandle and southwest areas of Texas. I also collected 288 lower canine teeth of gray fox samples from the Edwards Plateau and the Trans Pecos ecoregion. The teeth were processed for cementum annuli to access age for each individual. I then developed age distributions and used these distributions to calculate annual survival rates using a-structured regression. The overall survival of coyotes in Texas was 0.659. For females in total, annual survival was 0.709. Males annual survival was 0.686. The annual survival of all the gray foxes together is 0.650. Females annual survival was 0.647. Male's annual survival was 0.643. The coyote and gray fox are adaptive species and can survive in different habitats and situations. The age structure in both species does suggest that exploitation is changing the age structure towards a younger dominant composition. However, these age structures also suggest that all of the populations I examined have not been over-harvested. Shifting populations to younger age classes can reduce age at maturity and increases litter sizes. Thus, the demographic strategy of these species apparently allows them to be resilient to current exploitation levels in this region.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages : 167
Book Description
Statewide surveys of furbearers in Illinois indicate gray (Urocyon cinereoargenteus) and red (Vulpes vulpes) foxes have experienced substantial declines in relative abundance, whereas other species such as raccoons (Procyon lotor) and coyotes (Canis latrans) have exhibited dramatic increases during the same time period. The cause of the declines of gray and red foxes has not been identified, and the current status of gray foxes remains uncertain. Therefore, I conducted a large-scale predator survey and tracked radiocollared gray foxes from 2004 to 2007 in order to determine the distribution, survival, cause-specific mortality sources and land cover associations of gray foxes in an urbanized region of northeastern Illinois, and examined the relationships between the occurrence of gray fox and the presence other species of mesopredators, specifically coyotes and raccoons. Although generalist mesopredators are common and can reach high densities in many urban areas their urban ecology is poorly understood due to their secretive nature and wariness of humans. Understanding how mesopredators utilize urbanized landscapes can be useful in the management and control of disease outbreaks, mitigation of nuisance wildlife issues, and gaining insight into how mesopredators shape wildlife communities in highly fragmented areas. I examined habitat associations of raccoons, opossums (Didelphis virginiana), domestic cats (Felis catus), coyotes, foxes (gray and red), and striped skunks (Mephitis mephitis) at multiple spatial scales in an urban environment. Gray fox occurrence was rare and widely dispersed, and survival estimates were similar to other studies. Gray fox occurrence was negatively associated with natural and semi-natural land cover types. Fox home range size increased with increasing urban development suggesting that foxes may be negatively influenced by urbanization. Gray fox occurrence was not associated with coyote or raccoon presence. However, spatial avoidance and mortality due to coyote predation was documented and disease was a major mortality source for foxes. The declining relative abundance of gray fox in Illinois is likely a result of a combination of factors. Assessment of habitat associations indicated that urban mesopredators, particularly coyotes and foxes, perceived the landscape as relatively homogeneous and that urban mesopredators interacted with the environment at scales larger than that accommodated by remnant habitat patches. Coyote and fox presence was found to be associated with a high degree of urban development at large and intermediate spatial scales. However, at a small spatial scale fox presence was associated with high density urban land cover whereas coyote presence was associated with urban development with increased forest cover. Urban habitats can offer a diversity of prey items and anthropogenic resources and natural land cover could offer coyotes daytime resting opportunities in urban areas where they may not be as tolerated as smaller foxes. Raccoons and opossums were found to utilize moderately developed landscapes with interspersed natural and semi-natural land covers at a large spatial scale, which may facilitate dispersal movements. At intermediate and small spatial scales, both species were found to utilize areas that were moderately developed and included forested land cover. These results indicated that raccoons and opossums used natural areas in proximity to anthropogenic resources. At a large spatial scale, skunk presence was associated with highly developed landscapes with interspersed natural and semi-natural land covers. This may indicate that skunks perceived the urban matrix as more homogeneous than raccoons or opossums. At an intermediate spatial scale skunks were associated with moderate levels of development and increased forest cover, which indicated that they might utilize natural land cover in proximity to human-dominated land cover. At the smallest spatial scale skunk presence was associated with forested land cover surrounded by a suburban matrix. Compared to raccoons and opossums, skunks may not be tolerated in close proximity to human development in urban areas. Domestic cat presence was positively associated with increasingly urbanized and less diverse landscapes with decreased amounts of forest and urban open space at the largest spatial scale. At an intermediate spatial scale, cat presence was associated with a moderate degree of urban development characterized by increased forest cover, and at a small spatial scale cat presence was associated with a high degree of urbanization. Free-ranging domestic cats are often associated with human-dominated landscapes and likely utilize remnant natural habitat patches for hunting purposes, which may have implications for native predator and prey species existing in fragmented habitat patches in proximity to human development.
Author: Robert C. Lonsinger Publisher: ISBN: 9781339419534 Category : Coyote Languages : en Pages : 580
Book Description
Resource managers worldwide are challenged to protect sensitive species. The status of many species remains ambiguous, in part due to the difficulty in developing cost-efficient monitoring programs. We used noninvasive genetic sampling (NGS) to investigate two sympatric carnivores in the Great Basin Desert: kit foxes (Vulpes macrotis) and coyotes (Canis latrans). We developed a conceptual model to optimize NGS design for capture-recapture analyses. We compared statistical classification approaches to field identification (ID) of carnivore scats, and evaluated rates of scat removal to inform noninvasive surveys. To improve efficiency, we developed the ConGenR script to facilitate the determination of consensus genotypes, amplification and genotyping error rates, and genotype matching. We combined NGS with capture-recapture (NGS-CR) analyses to compare likelihood-based abundance estimators. Finally, we combined NGS and occupancy modeling to evaluate coyote and kit fox spatial dynamics. Our results suggested that temporal NGS-CR designs that balanced DNA degradation and sample accumulation reduced costs. Field based scat ID was misleading, but statistical classification provided high accuracy in the absence of molecular ID. Scat removal rates were significantly inflated and influenced survey results at even low levels of disturbance. The choice of estimator and sampling design significantly influenced abundance estimates, and the relationship between estimators varied by species. Occupancy of coyotes and kit foxes were positively and negatively associated with shrubland and woodland cover, respectively. Kit fox probability of local extinction was positively related to coyote activity, yet within an occupied unit, kit foxes were more likely to use areas with greater coyote activity. Collectively, our results demonstrate that NGS can be used to inform conservation and management and explore the relationships between elusive species.
Author: Publisher: ISBN: Category : Languages : en Pages :
Book Description
Disease surveillance in wildlife is limited by difficulties in obtaining ante-mortem diagnostic samples. Serologic surveys provide imperfect, retrospective measures of susceptible and immune subpopulations to pathogens that do not reveal which individuals are currently infectious. I examined fecal polymerase chain reaction (PCR) diagnostics as a noninvasive, alternative means of monitoring for pathogen presence among sympatric carnivores. PCR assays were evaluated for canine distemper virus (CDV) and canine parvovirus 2 (CPV2) by inoculating control feces with vaccines. Detection limits were below concentrations reported in clinically ill animals. The CPV2 assay amplified product from canine and feline vaccine strains while the CDV assay amplified 3 vaccine strains and neither cross-reacted with other vaccine viruses. Successful amplification, after 1 year, depended on the storage method and was robust in feces exposed to field conditions up to 2 to 3 weeks. Simulated infection, involving modified-live vaccination, investigated fecal virus shedding. Coyote pups shed CPV2 in their feces by Day 7 post-vaccination at levels below antigen-capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) sensitivity. Virus shedding ceased by Day 14 post-vaccination. Evaluation of vaccine-induced fecal shedding of CDV was complicated by co-amplification of bacterial contaminants; however, no virus was detected in the conjunctival epithelium on Day 7. Field viruses amplified from feces of animals showing clinical disease. Serologic and fecal PCR assays were deployed in eastern North Carolina where free-ranging bears, bobcats, gray foxes, raccoons, coyotes, and red wolves coexist and the viruses are endemic. All species had evidence of natural exposure to CDV and individuals of 5 species were actively shedding virus. Exposure to CPV2-like viruses occurred in 5 species, although overall fecal shedding of the virus was rare. Virus shedding occurred in both seropositive and seronegative indiv.
Author: Robert A. Long Publisher: Island Press ISBN: 1610911393 Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 399
Book Description
The status of many carnivore populations is of growing concern to scientists and conservationists, making the need for data pertaining to carnivore distribution, abundance, and habitat use ever more pressing. Recent developments in “noninvasive” research techniques—those that minimize disturbance to the animal being studied—have resulted in a greatly expanded toolbox for the wildlife practitioner. Presented in a straightforward and readable style, Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores is a comprehensive guide for wildlife researchers who seek to conduct carnivore surveys using the most up-to-date scientific approaches. Twenty-five experts from throughout North America discuss strategies for implementing surveys across a broad range of habitats, providing input on survey design, sample collection, DNA and endocrine analyses, and data analysis. Photographs from the field, line drawings, and detailed case studies further illustrate on-the-ground application of the survey methods discussed. Coupled with cutting-edge laboratory and statistical techniques, which are also described in the book, noninvasive survey methods are effi cient and effective tools for sampling carnivore populations. Noninvasive Survey Methods for Carnivores allows practitioners to carefully evaluate a diversity of detection methods and to develop protocols specific to their survey objectives, study area, and species of interest. It is an essential resource for anyone interested in the study of carnivores, from scientists engaged in primary research to agencies or organizations requiring carnivore detection data to develop management or conservation plans.
Author: Claudio Sillero-Zubiri Publisher: World Conservation Union ISBN: Category : Nature Languages : en Pages : 452
Book Description
The new Canid Action Plan synthesizes the current knowledge on the biology, ecology and status of all wild canid species, and outlines the conservation actions and projects needed to secure their long-term survival. Aiming at conservation biologists, ecologists, local conservation officials, administrators, educators, and all others dealing with canids in their jobs, the authors aspire to stimulate the conservation of all canids by highlighting problems, debating priorities and suggesting action.
Author: J.P. Dubey Publisher: CRC Press ISBN: 1351648608 Category : Medical Languages : en Pages : 512
Book Description
Key features: Written by the scientist who named this parasite and was the first to set up proper diagnostic techniques Serves as the first ever book to provide information on the parasite structure, biology, pathogenesis, clinical signs, epidemiology, prevention, and control of neosporosis Covers both approaches toward preventing & controlling this disease: Developing an efficacious vaccine and sound cattle management practices Contains a wealth of illustrations, including many of the author's original photographs of the parasite Provides basic information on immunologic and molecular aspects of the disease Abortion is a worldwide problem in the livestock industry accounting for annual economic losses of billions of dollars, and N. caninum is a major cause of it. Neosporosis is a newly recognized disease of animals. Until 1988 it was misdiagnosed as toxoplasmosis. Considerable progress in understanding the biology of neosporosis has been made in the last 30 years, resulting in more than 2,000 scientific publications. The economic importance of abortion in cattle, and the availability of knowledge, reagents, and technology used to study toxoplasmosis, have contributed to the rapid progress in understanding the biology of neosporosis. Written by pioneers in this field, Neosporosis in Animals presents a comprehensive summary of the biology of neosporosis, starting with chapter 1 on the historical background of the discovery of the disease. Subsequent chapters deal with general aspects of the biology of N. caninum (chapter 2), techniques (chapter 3), and the disease caused by this parasite in cattle (chapter 4), dogs (chapter 5), and all other animals including sheep, pigs, primates and humans (chapters 6-18). This book provides, for the first time in a single authoritative source, a complete account of the structure, biology, clinical disease, diagnosis, epidemiology, treatment, attempts at immunoprophylaxis, and control in all hosts. There are 175 illustrations and tables devoted to the life cycle, structure of parasitic stages, and lesions. More than 2100 references are cited, allowing the reader to locate additional information on specific topics in an efficient way. This book will be useful to a broad range of researchers in biology and veterinarians.
Author: Christine A. Bozarth
Author: Christine A. Bozarth
Author: Kristi J. Robinson
Author: Cassie Ann Kirk
Author: 
Author: Henry M. Masters
Author: Robert C. Lonsinger
Author: 
Author: Robert A. Long
Author: Claudio Sillero-Zubiri
Author: J.P. Dubey