Treesearch

This talk provides a population and landscape genetic overview of fishers in Idaho and Montana. We start by discussing some of our initial findings using mitochondrial DNA (Vinkey et al. 2006, Schwartz 2007, Knaus et al. 2011). On balance these results demonstrate the uniqueness of a native haplotype that persisted in the Bitterroot-Selway Ecosystem. They also show the mixing of this native type with reintroduced individuals from British Columbia and the Midwest United States. Subsequently, we examine the genetic substructure of fishers throughout the Rocky Mountains using a panel of...

In this talk we review the recent fisher research and monitoring efforts that have occurred throughout Idaho and Montana in past 2 decades. We begin this talk with a summary of the habitat relationship work that has examined fisher habitat use at multiple scales. These have largely been conducted using radio and satellite telemetry, although a new, joint effort to use GPS tags on fisher to understand their habitat use in multiple-use, xeric stands is underway. Next we discuss our progress in the arena of molecular genetics and genomics. We note the progress that has been made in the realms...

The fisher (Pekania pennanti; formerly known as Martes pennanti) is a North American endemic mustelid with a geographic distribution that spans much of the boreal forests of North America. In the Northern Rocky Mountain (NRM) fishers have been the focus of Endangered Species Act (ESA) listing decisions. Habitat studies of West Coast fishers in California have consistently identified late-successional forests as important, providing direct implications for forest management and fisher conservation. In the NRM range very little is known about the habitat selection patterns of fishers...

Palmer's chipmunk (Neotamias palmeri) is a medium-sized chipmunk whose range is limited to the higher-elevation areas of the Spring Mountain Range, Nevada. A second chipmunk species, the Panamint chipmunk (Neotamias panamintinus), is more broadly distributed and lives in lower-elevation, primarily pinyon-juniper (Pinus monophylla-Juniperus osteosperma) habitat types. Panamint chipmunks are not closely related to Palmer's, but field identification of the 2 species is unreliable. Palmer's chipmunk is a species of concern in the state of Nevada and is listed by the International Union for...

Exotic weeds have invaded vast stretches of forest and rangeland, yet as highlighted by the previous review by Runyon and others in this issue, little is known about the factors driving the success of these invaders or how factors such as climate change may alter outcomes. Spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe) is one of the worst weeds in the Western U.S., infesting over seven million acres. Even so, knapweed populations declined in Western Montana in the early 2000s, coincident with severe drought. Furthermore, the biocontrol agent, the knapweed root weevil (Cyphocleonus achates), was...

The fact that most of our worst animal and weed pests come from other continents is no coincidence. Biological invasions are fundamentally a biogeographic phenomenon. That is to say, there is something rather significant about taking an organism from a specific evolutionary history and ecological context and casting it into an entirely new environment that can profoundly change ecological interactions. This fact has been largely ignored over much of the history of research on exotic species invasions; most of this research is done in the invaded range, and some in the native range, but...

An exciting advance in the understanding of metapopulation dynamics has been the investigation of how populations respond to ephemeral patches that go 'extinct' during the lifetime of an individual. Previous research has shown that this scenario leads to genetic homogenization across large spatial scales. However, little is known about fine-scale genetic structuring or how this changes over time in ephemeral patches. We predicted that species that specialize on ephemeral habitats will delay dispersal to exploit natal habitat patches while resources are plentiful and thus display fine-scale...

A critical niche of the Journal of Wildlife Management is to publish research that will help guide wildlife conservation. Hence, nearly every paper concludes with a Management Implications section which is the "so what'" part of the paper. In other words, how does the science reported in the paper contribute to the management and conservation of the species or system studied? The "so what" aspect of the paper often comes down to documenting that a certain action or activity will have some effect on a species' population or habitat. If the paper cannot show an effect, it may not be suitable...

This issue includes an invited paper by Courtney Schultz and her colleagues commenting on the application of the newly adopted U.S. Forest Service Planning Rule (hereafter, the rule) for wildlife. The rule is basically implementing language to interpret the spirit and intent of the National Forest Management Act (NFMA) of 1976. Laws such as NFMA require additional clarification to enable responsible parties to implement the law as intended by Congress. The NFMA had 1 phrase related to wildlife, ". . . provide for diversity of plant and animal communities based on the suitability and...

Much rides on the performance of a scientific journal. Professional societies track where their journals rank so they can gauge quality, relevance, and project future subscription rates. Scientists, university faculty, and other professionals keep track of journal rankings as that information is often used when they are evaluated for promotion or retention. Funding entities consider where applicants publish and how those journals rank when choosing among competitive proposals. Needless to say, quite a bit rides on these numbers.