Assessment of Alternative Sampling Designs for Range‐wide Monitoring of New England Cottontail

2020 ◽  
Vol 44 (4) ◽  
pp. 798-806
Author(s):  
Chadwick D. Rittenhouse ◽  
Adrienne I. Kovach
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
New England Cottontail

Chromosomal Variation in the New England Cottontail, Sylvilagus transitionalis

1989 ◽  
Vol 70 (4) ◽  
pp. 860-864 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. A. Ruedas ◽  
R. C. Dowler ◽  
E. Aita
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Chromosomal Variation ◽  
Sylvilagus Transitionalis ◽  
New England Cottontail

scholarly journals Location and Species Matters: Variable Influence of the Environment on the Gene Flow of Imperiled, Native and Invasive Cottontails

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas J. McGreevy ◽  
Sozos Michaelides ◽  
Mihajla Djan ◽  
Mary Sullivan ◽  
Diana M. Beltrán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
New England ◽  
Environmental Variables ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Genomic Variation ◽  
Restricted Gene Flow ◽  
New England Cottontail ◽  
Eastern Cottontail ◽  
Northeast Us

The environment plays an important role in the movement of individuals and their associated genes among populations, which facilitates gene flow. Gene flow can help maintain the genetic diversity both within and between populations and counter the negative impact of genetic drift, which can decrease the fitness of individuals. Sympatric species can have different habitat preferences, and thus can exhibit different patterns of genetic variability and population structure. The specialist-generalist variation hypothesis (SGVH) predicts that specialists will have lower genetic diversity, lower effective population sizes (Ne), and less gene flow among populations. In this study, we used spatially explicit, individual-based comparative approaches to test SGVH predictions in two sympatric cottontail species and identify environmental variables that influence their gene flow. New England cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is the only native cottontail in the Northeast US, an early successional habitat specialist, and a species of conservation concern. Eastern cottontail (S. floridanus) is an invasive species in the Northeast US and a habitat generalist. We characterized each species’ genomic variation by developing double-digest Restriction-site Associated DNA sequence single nucleotide polymorphism markers, quantified their habitat with Geographic Information System environmental variables, and conducted our analyses at multiple scales. Surprisingly, both species had similar levels of genetic diversity and eastern cottontail’s Ne was only higher than New England cottontail in one of three subregions. At a regional level, the population clusters of New England cottontail were more distinct than eastern cottontail, but the subregional levels showed more geographic areas of restricted gene flow for eastern cottontail than New England cottontail. In general, the environmental variables had the predicted effect on each species’ gene flow. However, the most important environmental variable varied by subregion and species, which shows that location and species matter. Our results provide partial support for the SGVH and the identification of environmental variables that facilitate or impede gene flow can be used to help inform management decisions to conserve New England cottontail.

Testing Multiple Hypotheses to Identify Causes of the Decline of a Lagomorph Species: The New England Cottontail as a Case Study

2008 ◽  
pp. 167-185 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A. Litvaitis ◽  
Michael S. Barbour ◽  
Anne L. Brown ◽  
Adrienne I. Kovach ◽  
Marian K. Litvaitis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Multiple Hypotheses ◽  
New England Cottontail

First Records of the New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) from Maryland

1972 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 148 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph A. Chapman ◽  
John L. Paradiso
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
Sylvilagus Transitionalis ◽  
New England Cottontail

Characteristics of occupied habitats and identification of sites for restoration and translocation of New England cottontail populations

2007 ◽  
Vol 137 (4) ◽  
pp. 584-598 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Tash ◽  
John A. Litvaitis
Keyword(s):  
New England ◽  
New England Cottontail

Variation in the mitochondrial DNA of the Sylvilagus complex occupying the northeastern United States

1997 ◽  
Vol 75 (4) ◽  
pp. 595-605 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marianne K. Litvaitis ◽  
Woo-Jai Lee ◽  
John A. Litvaitis ◽  
Thomas D. Kocher
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Mitochondrial Dna ◽  
New England ◽  
Sister Species ◽  
Sequence Information ◽  
Sylvilagus Floridanus ◽  
Northeastern United States ◽  
New England Cottontail ◽  
Declining Populations ◽  
Morphological Differences

We compared the variation in mitochondrial DNA among species of cottontail rabbits in the northeastern United States to (i) assess the effects of historic transplants of eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus) on subspecific status, (ii) examine the extent of hybridization between invading eastern cottontails and declining populations of endemic New England cottontails (S. transitionalis), and (iii) evaluate the recent reclassification of S. transitionalis into two sister-species, New England cottontail and Appalachian cottontail (S. obscurus). Sequence variation in the tRNAPro and the first 310 base pairs of the control region supported a separation of the two species S. floridanus and S. transitionalis/S. obscurus. However, geographic structuring of haplotypes was not detected for either group. Genetic similarity among populations of S. floridanus indicated that subspecific designations are not warranted for this species in the northeastern United States. Comparisons of sequence information from populations of S. transitionalis/S. obscurus that were never sympatric (Maine), recently sympatric (New Hampshire), or sympatric with eastern cottontails since the last glaciation of eastern North America (Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, North Carolina) indicated that hybridization is not occurring between eastern cottontails and New England or Appalachian cottontails. Limited variation in mitochondrial DNA does not support the recent reclassification of S. transitionalis into sister-species. However, karyotypic and morphological differences between northern and southern populations should be considered during any efforts to restore declining populations of this species.

scholarly journals An Analysis of Overstory Tree Canopy Cover in Sites Occupied by Native and Introduced Cottontails in the Northeastern United States with Recommendations for Habitat Management for New England Cottontail

PLoS ONE ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. e0135067 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill Buffum ◽  
Thomas J. McGreevy ◽  
Amy E. Gottfried ◽  
Mary E. Sullivan ◽  
Thomas P. Husband
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
New England ◽  
Habitat Management ◽  
Canopy Cover ◽  
Tree Canopy ◽  
Northeastern United States ◽  
New England Cottontail ◽  
Tree Canopy Cover ◽  
Overstory Tree
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