COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Connectivity in a Heterogeneous Landscape: The Genetics and Population Dynamics of Olympic Marmots

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It is known that connectivity, or movement across a landscape, can be critical to the persistence of animal populations. Although there have been astonishing advances in the measurement of connectivity using radiotelemetry, non-invasive DNA sampling, and computer analysis, there is not yet a framework to unify these approaches. This project will develop such a general framework, applying it to the Olympic marmot, a species found only in the high-elevation meadows of the Olympic Peninsula, Washington. DNA analysis of samples obtained non-invasively (from hairs left on sticks placed in marmot burrows), coupled with telemetry, and observation, will provide input to a novel computer model that will portray likely marmot movement paths across the landscape. There are only 2,000-4,000 individuals of this species, and their apparent recent declines are of considerable concern to Olympic National Park. Comparison of findings of this project to previous work on Olympic marmots will permit determination of whether this species has declined. The computer model developed with field data will also indicate potential effects of global climate change on marmot connectivity, as snowpack or vegetation community types are shifted. By identifying mechanisms of connectivity and population decline, the project will facilitate management of Olympic marmots while at the same time developing a general approach applicable to many species facing fragmentation.