Genetics reveal the origin and timing of a cryptic insular introduction of muskrats in North America.

ABSTRACT: The muskrat, Ondatra zibethicus, is a semiaquatic rodent native to North America that has become a highly successful invader across Europe, Asia, and South America. It can inflict ecological and economic damage on wetland systems outside of its native range. Anecdotal evidence suggests that, in the early 1900s, a population of muskrats was introduced to the Isles of Shoals archipelago, located within the Gulf of Maine, for the purposes of fur harvest. However, because muskrats are native to the northeastern coast of North America, their presence on the Isles of Shoals could be interpreted as part of the native range of the species, potentially obscuring management planning and biogeographic inferences. To investigate their introduced status and identify a historic source population, muskra

SUBMITTER: Mychajliw AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4216123 | biostudies-literature | 2014

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature