Genetic recapture identifies long-distance breeding dispersal in Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)

Dispersal can strongly influence the demographic and evolutionary trajectory of populations. For many species, little is known about dispersal, despite its importance to conservation. The Greater Sage-Grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus) is a species of conservation concern that ranges across 11 western U.S. states and 2 Canadian provinces. To investigate dispersal patterns among spring breeding congregations, we examined a 21-locus microsatellite DNA dataset of 3,244 Greater Sage-Grouse sampled from 763 leks throughout Idaho, Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota, USA, across 7 yr. We recaptured ~2% of individuals, documenting 41 instances of breeding dispersal, with 7 dispersal events of .50 km, including 1 of...

Categories: Data, Publication; Types: Citation, Map Service, OGC WFS Layer, OGC WMS Layer, OGC WMS Service; Tags: Academics & scientific researchers, Centrocercus urophasianus, EARTH SCIENCE > LAND SURFACE > LANDSCAPE, Federal resource managers, Genetic recapture, All tags... Greater Sage-Grouse, LCC Network Science Catalog, Publication, State agencies, breeding dispersal, completed, environment, long-distance dispersal, mark–recapture, microsatellite, molecular genetics, philopatry, Fewer tags