Conservation management in the age of genomics: Assessing translocation success and signatures of selection in a conservation icon, the greater prairie-chicken

In the face of growing anthropogenic threats to biodiversity, species translocations have become a common strategy to rescue populations from extirpation through restoring population densities and genetic diversity. While successful examples of genetic rescue of endangered populations have received a great deal of attention, many translocations have shown equivocal results. In my dissertation, I employ a conservation icon, the greater prairie-chicken, to explore the genomic consequences of species translocations. By performing RADseq on translocation source and recipient populations, I explore the genomic consequences of translocations and investigate signatures of contemporary evolution. My findings indicate that translocations resulted in successful introgression of source population variation, significantly increasing genome-wide diversity in the previously genetically depauperate Illinois population. Analyses of private alleles among source and recipient populations revealed maintenance of local variation in conjunction with introduction of unique variation from each source population. Further, source and recipient populations exhibit significant signatures of selective differentiation indicative of local adaptation. Investigations of regions exhibiting adaptive differentiation in Illinois reveal heterogeneity in the effects of translocations, including preservation of locally adapted alleles, introgression by individual source populations, and admixture among source and recipient variation. Sampling over a period of approximately 15 generations within two source populations revealed evidence of rapid, contemporary evolution in genes of adaptive significance. Results from my investigations demonstrate the necessity for analyses of genome-wide and adaptively significant genetic variation to comprehensively evaluate translocation success, improve management efficacy, and inform future conservation strategies.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Biology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2022

Author dc:creator

• Capel, Samantha L. R.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Schelsky, Wendy M
• Bouzat, Juan L
• Paige, Ken N
• Catchen, Julian M
• Roca, Alfred L

• Conservation
• Population genomics
• Translocations
• Genetic restoration
• RADseq
• Greater prairie-chicken

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2022 Samantha L. R. Capel

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/116079

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F116079