Past Research Projects
A Landscape-Scale Assessment of Genetic Diversity and Population Structure in Northern Bobwhite
Erin Wehland, M.S. candidate (Co-advisors: Drs. Randy DeYoung and Leonard Brennan).
Exchange of individuals among populations is important in maintaining healthy populations and avoiding loss of genetic diversity through genetic drift and inbreeding. Although bobwhite quail are an intensely studied species, questions still remain concerning how bobwhite populations are connected and movements of individuals among populations. Disruption of historic dispersal patterns could be an underlying factor in the range-wide decline of bobwhites, especially in the southeastern U.S., where habitat loss and fragmentation has been severe. In order to know how the disruption of population connectivity could impact quail populations, it is necessary to understand dispersal patterns in a functional environment. Currently, I am doing a landscape scale-study to assess genetic diversity and populations structuring of bobwhites in south Texas. South Texas has been a traditional stronghold for quail, comprised of large areas of contiguous habitat which support some of the highest quail densities in the nation. To understand how populations are structured, I will examine genetic diversity within populations, genetic variability among populations, and mtDNA haplotype distribution. The results of this study will be a valuable in understanding how bobwhite population demographics influence genetic diversity and structure and provide a yardstick to gauge the effects of habitat alteration in other portions of bobwhite range.
