Fisher population and landscape genetics

This talk provides a population and landscape genetic overview of fishers in Idaho and Montana. We start by discussing some of our initial findings using mitochondrial DNA (Vinkey et al. 2006, Schwartz 2007, Knaus et al. 2011). On balance these results demonstrate the uniqueness of a native haplotype that persisted in the Bitterroot-Selway Ecosystem. They also show the mixing of this native type with reintroduced individuals from British Columbia and the Midwest United States. Subsequently, we examine the genetic substructure of fishers throughout the Rocky Mountains using a panel of microsatellite (nuclear ) DNA markers. These data also show a strong break between areas where fishers have been reintroduced and where the native populations persisted. We end this talk presenting some preliminary landscape genetic analyses that examine how course landscape features such as mesic and xeric forests influence gene flow at multiple scales.