USFWS PYGMY RABBIT GENETIC MONITORING

Project ID: F22AC02096

Federal Agency: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Partner Institution: University of Idaho

Fiscal Year: 2022

Initial Funding: $67,636

Total Funding: $67,636

Principal Investigator: Waits, Lisette

Agreement Technical Representative: Veverka, Kim

Abstract: THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO USE GENETIC MONITORING TO PROVIDE NECESSARY INFORMATION TO THE USFWS, WDFW, AND COLUMBIA BASIN PYGMY RABBIT RECOVERY PROGRAM AND SCIENCE TEAM TO UNDERSTAND ANNUAL POPULATION STATUS AND PROPERLY MANAGE CAPTIVE PROPAGATION IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE RECOVERY. THE UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO (UI) HAS LONG BEEN A PARTICIPANT IN THE COLUMBIA BASIN PYGMY RABBIT RECOVERY EFFORTS AND MEMBER OF THE SCIENCE TEAM. OBJECTIVE 1 OF THIS GRANT IS TO CONDUCT GENETIC MONITORING AT RELEASE SITES TO GATHER CRITICAL DEMOGRAPHIC DATA INCLUDING: DETECTING AND COUNTING THE NUMBER OF RABBITS IN THE REINTRODUCTION AREA, EVALUATING SEX RATIOS, APPARENT SURVIVAL RATES AND REPRODUCTION OF RELEASED RABBITS AND RABBITS BORN IN THE WILD AND EVALUATE ALTERNATIVE SAMPLING APPROACHES AND SEASONS FOR GENETIC MONITORING. OBJECTIVE 2 IS TO USE GENETIC MONITORING DATA TO EVALUATE GENETIC PARAMETERS INCLUDING EFFECTIVE POPULATION SIZE, GENETIC DIVERSITY AND THE PROPORTION OF COLUMBIA BASIN PYGMY RABBIT ANCESTRY IN WILD POPULATION AND THE CAPTIVE BREEDING ENCLOSURES. GENETIC SAMPLES WILL BE COLLECTED FROM RABBITS THROUGH A COMBINATION OF FECAL DNA SAMPLING AND TRAPPING OF INDIVIDUALS. GENETIC DATA WILL BE COLLECTED USING A GTSEQ SNP ANALYSIS OF 250-500 LOCI. RESULTS WILL BE PROVIDED TO MANAGERS MULTIPLE TIMES PER YEAR AT RECOVERY TEAM