Publications by authors named "Stacey A Nerkowski"
Loss and fragmentation of habitat from agricultural conversion led to the near extirpation of the pygmy rabbit ( Merriam, 1891) population in the Columbia Basin (CB) of Washington, USA. Recovery efforts began in 2002 and included captive breeding, translocations from other regions for genetic rescue, and reintroduction into native habitat in three sites: Sagebrush Flat (SBF), Beezley Hills (BH), and Chester Butte (CHB). We used noninvasive and invasive genetic sampling to evaluate demographic and population genetic parameters on three translocated populations of pygmy rabbits over eight years (2011-2020).
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- Minimally invasive sampling methods are preferred for collecting genetic material from endangered species, but they often produce low-quality DNA for genomic analysis.
- The research developed and validated a specialized GT-seq panel for the northern Idaho ground squirrel, consisting of 224 neutral and 81 adaptive SNPs, achieving a 73% success rate with DNA from buccal swabs.
- Comparisons showed that GT-seq offered reliable population diversity estimates and improved monitoring efforts, making it a valuable tool for conservation genetics, especially for rare species.