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Limited Antigenic Diversity In Contemporary H7 Avian-Origin Influenza A Viruses From North America, Yifei Xu, Elizabeth Bailey, Erica Spackman, Tao Li, Hui Wang, Li-Ping Long, John A. Baroch, Fred L. Cunningham, Xiaoxu Lin, Richard G. Jarman, Thomas J. Deliberto, Xiu-Feng Wan

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Subtype H7 avian–origin influenza A viruses (AIVs) have caused at least 500 confirmed human infections since 2003 and culling of >75 million birds in recent years. Here we antigenically and genetically characterized 93 AIV isolates from North America (85 from migratory waterfowl [1976–2010], 7 from domestic poultry [1971–2012], and 1 from a seal [1980]). The hemagglutinin gene of these H7 viruses are separated from those from Eurasia. Gradual accumulation of nucleotide and amino acid substitutions was observed in the hemagglutinin of H7 AIVs from waterfowl and domestic poultry. Genotype characterization suggested that H7 AIVs in wild birds form diverse and …

Improving The Odds: Assessing Bait Availability Before Rodent Eradications To Aid In Selecting Bait Application Rates, Madeleine Pott, Alexander S. Wegmann, Richard Griffiths, Araceli Samaniego-Herrera, Richard J. Cuthbert, M. De L. Brooke, William C. Pitt, Are R. Berentsen, Nick D. Holmes, Gregg R. Howald, Karina Ramos-Rendon, James C. Russell

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rodent eradications undertaken on tropical islands are more likely to fail than eradications undertaken at higher latitudes. We report on 12 independent rodent eradication projects undertaken on tropical islands that utilized the results of an in situ bait availability study prior to eradication to inform, a priori, the bait application rate selected for the eradication. These projects also monitored bait availability during the eradication. The results from our analysis verified the utility of bait availability studies to future rodent eradication campaigns and confirmed the influence of two environmental factors that can affect bait availability over time: precipitation prior to the …

Human Disturbance And The Physiological Response Of Elk In Eastern Washington, D. S. Jachowski, S. Mccorquodale, Brian E. Washburn, Joshua J. Millspaugh

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Stress hormone measures have proven useful for assessing effects of human disturbance on wildlife populations. However, most studies are of short duration or limited geographic scope (i.e., without spatial replication), leading to concerns about confounding effects of biotic conditions. Previous research correlated fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs) of elk (Cervus elaphus) with human disturbance, but this factor also co-varied with seasonal climatic conditions, making it difficult to make broader inference regarding the role of human disturbance. In this study we attempted to simultaneously evaluate the effects of climatic conditions and human disturbance by comparing the year-round physiological stress response …

Fecal Volatile Organic Ccompound Profiles From White-Tailed Deer (Odocoileus Virginianus) As Indicators Of Mycobacterium Bovis Exposure Or Mycobacterium Bovis Bacille Calmette-Guerin (Bcg) Vaccination, Randal S. Stahl, Christine K. Ellis, Pauline Nol, W. Ray Waters, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) serve as a reservoir for bovine tuberculosis, caused by Mycobacterium bovis, and can be a source of infection in cattle. Vaccination with M. bovis Bacille Calmette Guerin (BCG) is being considered for management of bovine tuberculosis in deer. Presently, no method exists to non-invasively monitor the presence of bovine tuberculosis in deer. In this study, volatile organic compound profiles of BCG-vaccinated and non-vaccinated deer, before and after experimental challenge with M. bovis strain 95–1315, were generated using solid phase microextraction fiber head-space sampling over suspended fecal pellets with analysis by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. …

Cowbird Responses To Aircraft With Lights Tuned To Their Eyes: Implications For Bird–Aircraft Collisions, Megan S. Doppler, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault, Esteban Fernández-Juricic

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Collisions between birds and aircraft (bird strikes) are expensive, risk human lives, and increase bird mortality. Aircraft lighting has been proposed as a potential means of enhancing avian responses to aircraft. Determining the optimal changes to lighting to reduce bird strikes is a complicated problem because avian visual systems differ markedly from that of humans. Icteridae, including Brown-headed Cowbirds (Molothrus ater; hereafter ‘‘cowbirds’’), are involved in bird strikes, have a well-described visual system, and respond to approaching vehicles and lights. Our goal was to assess cowbirds’ responses to a remote-controlled (RC) aircraft fitted with lights tuned to the …

Molecular Characterization Of Salmonella Enterica Isolates Associated With Starling–Livestock Interactions, James C. Carlson, Doreene R. Hyatt, Kevin Bentler, Anna M. Mangan, Michael Russell, Antoinette J. Piaggio, George M. Linz

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Bird–livestock interactions have been implicated as potential sources for bacteria within concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFO). In this study we characterized XbaIdigested genomic DNA from Salmonella enterica using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). The PFGE analysis was conducted using 182 S. enterica isolates collected from a single CAFO between 2009 and 2012. Samples collected in 2012 were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing. The analysis was limited to S. enterica serotypes, with at least 10 isolates, known to occur in both European starlings (Sturnus vulgaris) and cattle (Bos taurus) within this CAFO. A total of five different serotypes were screened; S. Anatum, …

Spatiotemporal Dynamics In Identification Of Aircraft–Bird Strikes, Tara J. Conkling, James A. Martin, Jerrold L. Belant, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

A primary concern for human–wildlife interactions is the potential impacts resulting from wildlife (primarily birds) collisions with aircraft. The identification of species responsible for collisions with aircraft is necessary so that airport management can develop effective strategies to reduce strikes with those species. Of particular importance in developing such strategies is the identification of regional, seasonal, and temporal patterns in collisions with unidentified bird species that may limit the effectiveness of regional habitat management to reduce bird strikes. The authors analyzed 105,529 U.S. civil aviation strike records from 1990 to 2012 in the FAA’s National Wildlife Strike Database to examine …

Tick-Borne Diseases In Syntopic Populations Of Fallow Deer (Dama Dama) And Axis Deer (Axis Axis) In Northern Mexico, Zeferino García-Vázquez, J. Alfonso Ortega-S., Antonio Cantu-Covarruvias, Juan Mosqueda, David G. Hewitt, Randall W. Deyoung, Tyler A. Campbell, Fred C. Bryant

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

We harvested 21 fallow deer (Dama dama) and 17 axis deer (Axis axis) in northern Mexico. Two fallow deer were positive for Babesia bigemina and one for Babesia bovis. Amplicons had the expected 170 and 291 base pairs and were identical to B. bigemina (S45366) and B. bovis (M38218), respectively.

Erratum: The Socioecology Of Monk Parakeets: Insights Into Parrot Social Complexity, Elizabeth A. Hobson, Michael L. Avery, Timothy F. Wright

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Our recent work on Monk Parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus) reported dominance steepness values that were inaccurate because of a bug in the analysis program. Updated steepness values are more moderate than initially reported, which places captive Monk Parakeet groups midway between egalitarianism and despotism.

Effect Of Travel Distance, Home Range, And Bait On The Management Of Small Indian Mongooses, Herpestes Auropunctatus, William C. Pitt, Robert T. Sugihara, Are R. Berentsen

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Selection of preferred baits to attract mongooses to traps and other control devices is paramount in the effective management and control of this invasive predatory mammal. We examined the attractiveness of selected food items as baits to free-ranging mongooses in field trials at two different habitats on the island of Hawaii. We utilized radio telemetry to calculate mongoose home range and population density estimates. We implanted microchips to remotely identify and record visitations by mongooses to the candidate baits and investigated bait visitation rates, bait attraction distances, and bait discovery times. Mongooses in this study foraged over a wide area …

Non-Target Species Mortality And The Measurement Of Brodifacoum Rodenticide Residues After A Rat (Rattus Rattus) Eradication On Palmyra Atoll, Tropical Pacific, William C. Pitt, Are R. Berentsen, Aaron B. Shiels, Steven F. Volker, John D. Eisemann, Alexander S. Wegmann, Gregg R. Howald

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The use of rodenticides to control or eradicate invasive rats (Rattus spp.) for conservation purposes has rapidly grown in the past decades, especially on islands. The non-target consequences and the fate of toxicant residue from such rodent eradication operations have not been well explored. In a cooperative effort, we monitored the application of a rodenticide, ‘Brodifacoum 25W: Conservation’, during an attempt to eradicate Rattus rattus from Palmyra Atoll. In 2011, Brodifacoum 25W: Conservation was aerially broadcasted twice over the entire atoll (2.5 km²) at rates of 80 kg/ha and 75 kg/ha and a supplemental hand broadcast application …

Collisions Between Eagles And Aircraft: An Increasing Problem In The Airport Environment, Brian E. Washburn, Michael J. Begier, Sandra E. Wright

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Most known fatalities for both Bald Eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and Golden Eagles (Aquila chrysaetos) are associated with humans (e.g., collisions with vehicles and artificial structures). Notably, the risk of collisions between eagles and aircraft is an increasing problem at civil airports and military airfields. Of the 234 eagle collisions with civil and military aircraft reported to the Federal Aviation Administration, the U.S. Air Force, and the U.S. Navy during 1990–2013, 52% caused damage to the aircraft. During this 23-yr time period, Bald Eagle–aircraft collisions increased by 2200% and Golden Eagle–aircraft collisions increased by 400%. Eagle–aircraft collisions …

Ecological Role Of Vertebrate Scavengers, James C. Beasley, Zach H. Olson, Travis L. Devault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Scavenging, or the consumption of dead animal matter, has been documented for a wide array of vertebrate taxa by naturalists and researchers for centuries. Yet, until recently, the importance of scavenging-derived nutrients to many vertebrate species has been largely unknown (DeVault et a1. 2003; Beasley et al. 2012b; Barton et al. 2013). As a result, the role vertebrate scavenging plays in food-web dynamics relative to that of microbes and invertebrates has been greatly underestimated (Wilson and Wolkovich 2011) and has thus become an important area of research. Indeed, in some ecosystems, vertebrates have been documented to assimilate as much as …

Cwd Prions Remain Infectious After Passage Through The Digestive System Of Coyotes (Canis Latrans), Tracy A. Nichols, Justin W. Fischer, Terry R. Spraker, Qingzhong Kong, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Chronic wasting disease (CWD) is a geographically expanding prion disease of wild and captive cervids in North America. Disease can be transmitted directly, animal to animal, or indirectly via the environment. CWD contamination can occur residually in the environment via soil, water, and forage following deposition of bodily fluids such as urine, saliva, and feces, or by the decomposition of carcasses. Recent work has indicated that plants may even take up prions into the stems and leaves. When a carcass or gut pile is present in the environment, a large number of avian and mammalian species visit and consume the …

Sunflower Bird Pests, George M. Linz, James J. Hanzel

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) is annually planted on approximately 26 million hectares in Australia, China, Europe, India, North America, Paldstan, Russia, South America, and Ukraine (National Sunflower Association, 2014). Flocks of granivorous birds, ranging in size from a few to millions, can be found in every sunflower growing region and have been documented to cause serious economic losses (Linz et al., 2011) (Figure 7.1). Avian species that damage sunflower generally belong to the parakeet (Psittacldae), dove (Columbidae), cockatoo (Cacatuidae), sparrow (Passeridae), crow (Corvidae), and blackbird (Icterinae) families (De Grazio, 1989; Linz and Hanzel, 1997; Linz et al., 2011; Rodriquez …

Boa Constrictor (Boa Constrictor), Are R. Berentsen, Juan G. Garcia-Cancel, Edna M. Diaz-Negron, Oscar A. Diaz-Marrero, Alberto R. Puente-Rolón, Robert N. Reed, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

USA: PUERTO RICO: MUNICIPALITY OF CABO ROJO: Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge (17.978958°N, 67.170910oW; NAD 83). 10 November 2014. O. A. Diaz-Marrero. Verified by S. M. Boback. National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution (USNM Herp Image 2838a, b; photo vouchers). First municipality record for this exotic species; all previous reports were restricted to the Municipality of Mayaguez, located ca. 25 km north of Cabo Rojo National Wildlife Refuge. Reynolds et al. (2013. BioI. Invasions 15:953-959) concluded that Boa Constrictor introductions into Puerto Rico were likely related to the pet trade and that they genetically matched snakes belonging to the …

Is There A Single Best Estimator? Selection Of Home Range Estimators Using Area-Under-The-Curve, W. David Walter, Dave P. Onorato, Justin W. Fischer

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Global positioning system (GPS) technology for monitoring home range and movements of wildlife has resulted in prohibitively large sample sizes of locations for traditional estimators of home range. We used areaunder- the-curve to explore the fit of 8 estimators of home range to data collected with both GPS and concurrent very high frequency (VHF) technology on a terrestrial mammal, the Florida panther Puma concolor coryi, to evaluate recently developed and traditional estimators.

Results: Area-under-the-curve was the highest for Florida panthers equipped with Global Positioning System (GPS) technology compared to VHF technology. For our study animal, estimators of home …

Evaluation Of Resident Canada Goose Movements To Reduce The Risk Of Goose-Aircraft Collisions At Suburban Airports, M. Elizabeth Rutledge, Christopher E. Moorman, Brian E. Washburn, Christopher S. Deperno

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Resident (non-migratory) Canada goose (Branta canadensis) populations in suburban environments pose risks to human health and safety. Specifically, the relatively large size and gregarious behavior of geese combined with an overlap in aircraft flight space pose substantial risk of property damage and human fatalities from goose-aircraft collisions. We estimated home range and core use areas of resident Canada geese and evaluated goose movements to better define the risk of goose-aircraft collisions around Piedmont Triad International Airport in Greensboro, North Carolina, USA.We placed satellite transmitters on 16 of 763 neck- and leg-banded geese to identify and track individuals over …

Increased Diphacinone And Chlorophacinone Metabolism In Previously Exposed Wild Caught Voles, Microtus Californicus, Katherine E. Horak, Steven F. Volker, Christopher M. Campton

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Rodents have been noteworthy pests in agricultural areas for decades. Because rodents impact diverse ecosystems, anticoagulant rodenticides have been heavily used throughout the world to control rodent populations. This continued use has led to the development of resistance to anticoagulant rodenticides in some populations of targeted rodents. Although many studies have investigated the genetic and molecular basis of anticoagulant resistance, few have focused on potential changes in metabolic function of resistant animals. In this study, vole (Microtus californicus, Peale) liver microsome preparations were made from unexposed animals living in areas that had never used anticoagulant rodenticides for either crop protection …

Antibody Response Of Cattle To Vaccination With Commercial Modified Live Rabies Vaccines In Guatemala, Amy T. Gilbert, Lauren Greenberg, David Moran, Marlon Alvarado, Daniel L. Garcia, Leonard Peruski

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Vampire bat rabies is a public and animal health concern throughout Latin America. As part of an ecological study of vampire bat depredation on cattle in southern Guatemala,we conducted a vaccine seroconversion study among three dairy farms. The main objectives of this cross sectional and cohort study were to understand factors associated withbat bites among cattle, to determine whether unvaccinated cattle had evidence of rabies virus exposure and evaluate whether exposure was related to bat bite prevalence, and to assess whether cattle demonstrate adequate seroconversion to two commercial vaccines used in Guatemala. In 2012, baseline blood samples were collected immediately …

Evaluation Of Anthelmintic Fishmeal Polymer Baits For The Control Of Baylisascaris Procyonis In Free-Ranging Raccoons (Procyon Lotor), Timothy J. Smyser, Shylo R. Johnson, Melissa D. Stallard, Ashley K. Mcgrew, L. Kristen Page, Nikki Crider, Lora R. Ballweber, Robert K. Swihart, Kurt C. Vercauteren

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Baylisascaris procyonis is a common gastrointestinal parasite of raccoons (Procyon lotor) and is a zoonotic helminth with the potential to cause severe or fatal infection. Raccoons thrive in human-dominated landscapes, and the fecal-oral transmission pathway and lack of effective treatment make B. procyonis a serious threat to public health. The distribution of medicinal baits has emerged as a socially acceptable and cost-effective method for managing disease in free-ranging wildlife. We assessed the suitability of a mass-producible anthelmintic bait for B. procyonis mitigation by evaluating the willingness of free-ranging raccoons to consume anthelmintic baits and determining whether bait consumption …

Using The “Placeholder” Concept To Reduce Genetic Introgression Of An Endangered Carnivore, Eric M. Gese, Patricia A. Terletzky

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

One of the most endangered species is the redwolf, Canis rufus. Reintroduction of the red wolf began in 1987, but in 1993 hybridization between coyotes (Canis latrans) and wolves was documented. To reduce genetic introgression, coyotes and coyote–wolf hybridswere captured, sterilized, and released as “placeholders”. Placeholders held territories until either displaced or killed by a wolf, or management personnel removed them before releasing a wolf. We evaluated the placeholder concept by examining the number of animals sterilized and released, likelihood of displacement by a wolf, factors influencing displacements, territory fidelity of placeholders, and survival rates and causes of mortality of …

Invaded Invaders: Infection Of Invasive Brown Treesnakes On Guam By An Exotic Larval Cestode With A Life Cycle Comprised Of Non-Native Hosts, Elden T. Holldorf, Shane R. Siers, Jonathan Q. Richmond, Page E. Klug, Robert N. Reed

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Background: Multiple host introductions to the same non-native environment have the potential to complete life cycles of parasites incidentally transported with them. Our goal was to identify a recently detected parasitic flatworm in the invasive Brown Treesnake (Boiga irregularis) on the remote Pacific island of Guam. We considered possible factors influencing parasite transmission, and tested for correlations between infection status and potential indicators of host fitness. We used genetic data from the parasite and information about the native ranges of other possible non-native hosts to hypothesize how it arrived on Guam and how its life cycle may be …

Evaluating Landowner-Based Beaver Relocation As A Tool To Restore Salmon Habitat, V. M. Petro, J. D. Taylor Ii, D. M. Sanchez

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Relocating American beavers (Castor canadensis) from unwanted sites to desirable sites (i.e., where damage exceeds stakeholder capacity) has been posited as a method to enhance in-stream habitat for salmonids in the Pacific Northwest region of the US; however, no studies have evaluated this method. From September–December 2011, we trapped and relocated 38 nuisance beavers using guidelines available to Oregon landowners. Release sites were selected from models that identified high values of beaverdamhabitat suitability and where dams would increase intrinsic potential of coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch). Mean distance moved from release sites within 16 weeks post-release was 3.3 …

Assessment Of Population Structure Of Coyotes In East-Central Alabama Using Microsatellite Dna, Dalinda L. Damm, James B. Armstrong, Wendy M. Arjo, Antoinette J. Piaggio

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Canis latrans (Coyotes) are a management concern in the southeastern US because of their potential impacts on agriculture, other wildlife species, and human health and safety. This region is part of a recent range expansion by Coyotes, and information about their population structure in the southeastern US is lacking. In this study, we used microsatellite DNA to assess genetic diversity and population structure among Coyotes in east-central Alabama. We detected high genetic diversity (H_E = 0.78) and no population structure across the total sampling area. Additionally, we investigated population structure between urban and rural groups. We detected low but …

Assessing Chemical Control Of Earthworms At Airports, Thomas W. Seamans, Bradley F. Blackwell, Glen E. Bernhardt, Daniel A. Potter

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Earthworms originating from Europe (e.g., Lumbricus spp., Aporrectodea spp.), which are common in the United States and southern Canada can create hazardous conditions at airports by attracting birds that pose a threat to aircraft. These nonnative earthworms are also considered pests on golf courses and sports fields, as well as having detrimental effects on temperate boreal forests. No toxicants or repellents are currently registered for earthworm control in the United States. Our purpose was to identify products that could be used to repel or suppress nonnative earthworms on airports or other managed sites where they pose a hazard or nuisance. …

Assessment Of Variation Of Nest Survival For Grassland Birds Due To Method Of Nest Discovery, Tara J. Conkling, Jerrold L. Belant, Travis L. Devault, Guiming Wang, James A. Martin

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Capsule Interpretation of nest survival estimates may be improved by incorporating the search method used to locate nests as a covariate.

Aims To compare annual survival estimates for Dickcissel Spiza americana nests and determine if incorporating search method (structured, opportunistic, or behavioural searches) improved model fit.

Methods Dickcissel nests were located using structured, opportunistic, or behavioural searches over three years (2011–2013) in Mississippi, USA. Models were used to estimate daily survival rates (DSRs) and to analyse factors influencing nest survival.

Results DSRs for Dickcissels were best explained by quadratic date, nest age, age found, and year, but incorporating search method …

Modeling The Cost Of Bird Strikes To Us Civil Aircraft, Aaron M. Anderson, David S. Carpenter, Michael J. Begier, Bradley F. Blackwell, Travis L. Devault, Stephanie A. Shwiff

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

The objective of our analysis is to develop a model of damage costs that arise from collisions between aircraft and birds, based on data drawn from the Federal Aviation Administration National Wildlife Strike Database (NWSD). We develop a two-part model, composed of two separate statistical models, that accounts for the effects of aircraft mass category, engine type, component of the aircraft struck, and the size and number of birds struck. Our results indicate the size of bird, number of birds, and engine ingestions are the largest determinants of strike-related costs. More generally, our result is a model that provides a …

Serological Investigation Of Heartland Virus (Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus) Exposure In Wild And Domestic Animals Adjacent To Human Case Sites In Missouri 2012–2013, Angela M. Bosco-Lauth, Nicholas A. Panella, J. Jeffrey Root, Tom Gidlewski, R. Ryan Lash, Jessica R. Harmon, Kristen L. Burkhalter, Marvin S. Godsey, Harry M. Savage, William L. Nicholson, Nicholas Komar, Aaron C. Brault

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

Heartland virus (HRTV; Bunyaviridae: Phlebovirus) has recently emerged as a causative agent of human disease characterized by thrombocytopenia and leukopenia in the United States. The lone star tick (Amblyomma americanum L.) has been implicated as a vector. To identify candidate vertebrate amplification hosts associated with enzootic maintenance of the virus, sera and ticks were sampled from 160 mammals (8 species) and 139 birds (26 species) captured near 2 human case residences in Andrew and Nodaway Counties in northwest Missouri. HRTV-specific neutralizing antibodies were identified in northern raccoons (42.6%), horses (17.4%), white-tailed deer (14.3%), dogs (7.7%), and Virginia opossums …

Shared Genetic Diversity Across The Global Invasive Range Of The Monk Parakeet Suggests A Common Restricted Geographic Origin And The Possibility Of Convergent Selection, Pim Edelaar, Severine Roques, Elizabeth A. Hobson, Anders Gonçalves Da Silva, Michael L. Avery, Michael A. Russello, Juan C. Senar, Timothy F. Wright, Martina Carrete, José L. Tella

United States Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services: Staff Publications

While genetic diversity is hypothesized to be an important factor explaining invasion success, there is no consensus yet on how variation in source populations or demographic processes affects invasiveness. We used mitochondrial DNA haplotypic and microsatellite genotypic data to investigate levels of genetic variation and reconstruct the history of replicate invasions on three continents in a globally invasive bird, the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus). We evaluated whether genetic diversity at invasive sites could be explained by (i) the native source populations from which they were derived and (ii) demographic bottlenecks during introduction. Genetic data indicated a localized source …