Genetic connectivity of wolverines in western North America.

ABSTRACT: Wolverine distribution contracted along the southern periphery of its range in North America during the 19th and 20th centuries due primarily to human influences. This history, along with low densities, sensitivity to climate change, and concerns about connectivity among fragmented habitats spurred the recent US federal listing of threatened status and special concern status in Canada. To help inform large scale landscape connectivity, we collected 882 genetic samples genotyped at 19 microsatellite loci. We employed multiple statistical models to assess the landscape factors (terrain complexity, human disturbance, forest configuration, and climate) associated with wolverine genetic connectivity across 2.2 million km² of southwestern Canada and the northwestern contiguous United

SUBMITTER: Day CC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11568290 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature