Presented By: Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
EEB Thursday Seminar: Carnivores - competition and connectivity
Scott Creel, Professor, Conservation Biology & Ecology Program, Montana State University
Current extinction rates are comparable to five prior mass extinctions in the earth’s history, and are strongly affected by human activities that have modified more than half of the earth’s terrestrial surface. Increasing human activity restricts animal movements and isolates formerly connected populations, a particular concern for the conservation of large carnivores, but no prior research has used high throughput sequencing in a standardized manner to examine genetic connectivity for multiple species of large carnivores and multiple ecosystems. We used RAD SNP genotypes to test for differences in connectivity between multiple ecosystems for African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) and lions (Panthera leo), and to test correlations between genetic distance, geographic distance and landscape resistance due to human activity. We found weaker connectivity and a stronger correlation between genetic distance and landscape resistance for lions, and propose a new hypothesis that adaptations to interspecific competition may help to explain differences in vulnerability to isolation by humans.
View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/ekCd9EWl5G4
View YouTube video of seminar: https://youtu.be/ekCd9EWl5G4
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