PARENT SESSION

Conservation 3 -- Session Chair: Patrick Kelly-- University Center, Kate Buchanan Room

GENETIC EVALUATION OF BLACK-FOOTED FERRETS FOR REINTRODUCTION PURPOSES. Cynthia K. Maddox and Bradley J. Swanson. Brooks Hall, Mt. Pleasant, MI, USA.

ABSTRACT- The only self-sustaining wild population of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) is located in the Conata Basin National Grasslands (CBNG), South Dakota. The captive breeding program for the black-footed ferrets was designed to minimize the loss of genetic variation, but inbreeding, mating system and limited dispersal in the wild population are all working to remove genetic variation in the released population. More genetic variation present in the population increases the chance of persistence and provides genetically sound individuals for reintroduction into future sites. To examine the rate of loss of genetic diversity, DNA extracted from hair and saliva samples from all wild born kits (n=309) in the CBNG population (2000-2003) was used to determine the rate of loss of genetic variation using 7 microsatellite loci. Genetic variation of the 3 sub-populations in the CBNG population was calculated based on sub-population size using 2002 estimates, Agate (n=45), Sage Creek (n=137), and Heck Table (n=35). These demographic estimates of Ne indicate that the genetic variation should have decreased by 10% in the Agate sub-population, 4% in the Sage Creek sub-population, 3% in the Heck Table sub-population, or 5% overall across sub-populations. Preliminary estimates show the Heck Table sub-population to be more genetically distinct than Agate and Sage Creek. The rates of loss of genetic variation are also lower than expected from the demographic estimates, showing a 3% overall loss across all three populations. Determining how unique each individual sub-population is, or if they are acting as one large population, will be important for developing population management strategies.

KEY WORDS: microsatellites, effective population, bottleneck, genetic diversity