Assessing genetic diversity and differentiation in endangered Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis) populations to support species recovery efforts

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The Mottled Duskywing (Erynnis martialis) is an endangered butterfly species in Canada. To reverse the contraction in its geographic range observed over the last several decades, recovery-planning documents suggest re-establishing the species at historical sites where suitable habitat remains and/or assisting colonization at previously unoccupied sites with suitable habitat. In 2015, Natural Resource Solutions Inc. (NRSI) began coordinating a multi-year collaborative project to work towards this goal by addressing key actions and knowledge gaps identified in the Draft Recovery Strategy for Mottled Duskywing. The proposed research will contribute to this multi-year collaborative recovery initiative by addressing key knowledge gaps relating to the genetics of the Mottled Duskywing. We will develop microsatellite genetic markers for Mottled Duskywing and complete genetic sampling throughout the species' range in Ontario and nearby locations in the US. This will provide information about the genetic diversity and differentiation of the Ontario subpopulations, effective population size (related to census population size), and, in conjunction with mark-recapture data being collected by collaborators, indirect estimates of gene flow. Given that genetic techniques are now widely used in conservation biology to identify source populations for reintroductions and to assess extinction risk (Frankham et al. 2002), the proposed research will directly inform Mottled Duskywing population augmentation and re-introduction efforts in Ontario.