Journal
BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION
Volume 144, Issue 2, Pages 886-891Publisher
ELSEVIER SCI LTD
DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.12.001
Keywords
Inbreeding; Climate change; Genetic diversity; Disease ecology; Crotalus horridus
Funding
- New Hampshire Fish and Game Department
- NH State Wildlife [T-7-R]
- US Fish & Wildlife Service
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Extinction of populations from anthropogenic forces rarely has a single cause. Instead, population declines result from a variety of factors, including habitat loss, inbreeding depression, disease, and climate change. These impacts often have synergistic effects that can lead to rapid decline in isolated populations, but case studies documenting such processes are rare. Here, we describe the recent decline of the last known population of timber rattlesnakes (Crotalus horridus) in the state of New Hampshire. We used polymorphic nuclear DNA markers to compare genetic diversity of this population to other populations in the region that are not isolated. We also compare results from ongoing field monitoring of these populations. Genetic analyses reveal that the New Hampshire population lacks genetic diversity and exhibits signs of a recent bottleneck. New Hampshire snakes also exhibited high levels of morphological abnormalities (unique piebald coloration, amelanistic tongues) indicative of inbreeding depression. Furthermore, after a year with exceptionally high summer rainfall, a skin infection of unknown etiology caused significant mortality in the New Hampshire population, whereas other surveyed non-inbred populations were unaffected. This case study demonstrates how different anthropogenic impacts on natural environments can interact in unexpected ways to drive threatened populations toward extinction. (c) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
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