Most animal populations are linked spatially by movement. Dispersal between populations can significantly influence population dynamics and genetic variation, but these effects are difficult to quantify or predict because data on rates of movement are difficult to obtain. The first part of this project will fuse into a common framework two recent methodological advances in the study of dispersal: ?capture-mark-release? statistical models that estimate rates of movement from animals censused in multiple populations, and ?genetic assignment tests? which use molecular genetic techniques to determine where animals came from before they were captured. The second part of the project will validate the new methods using data from a long-term study of kangaroo rats, a model species for the study of animal dispersal.
The methodology developed by this project will be applicable to a wide variety of animals, including those of conservation concern as a result of habitat fragmentation and climate change. Once the methodology is developed, a general-use program implementing it will be made available via the USGS Patuxent software archive. The project also will provide educational benefits, including research-based training of undergraduate honors students, where possible involving students associated with the Tecumseh Project, a Purdue initiative to encourage the participation of Native American students in science.
Peter M. Waser, J. Andrew DeWoody, co-PIs Most animal populations are linked spatially by movement. In theory, dispersal between populations can significantly influence local population dynamics and genetic variation, but data are generally lacking. We have developed mathematical techniques that to fuse two recent methodological advances in the study of dispersal: "capture-mark-release" statistical models that estimate rates of movement from animals censused in multiple populations, and "genetic assignment tests" which use molecular genetic techniques to determine where animals came from before they were captured. We then validated the new methodology using data from a long-term study of kangaroo rats, a model species for the study of animal dispersal. The methodologies developed by this project are applicable to a wide variety of animals, including those of conservation concern as a result of habitat fragmentation and climate change. Our development of the databases needed to test the methodology has also allowed us to explore aspects of mating behavior and cognitive capabilities in our desert-adapted study species, as well as comparative aspects of genetics related to the immune system and to kidney function. These projects also served as research experience for 8 undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate students.
