TURNER INSTITUTE OF ECOAGRICULTURE INC

3. Movement and habitat use of reintroduced bolson tortoises in southern new mexico. The bolson tortoise is the largest and rarest of the six gopherus species native to north america. Today, however, fewer than 2,500 individuals remain in the wild, all of which are restricted to discontinuous basins in the mapim sub-province of north-central mexico, representing >90% extirpation from their pleistocene range. The turner conservation trust operates the only large-scale ex situ breeding program aimed at conserving bolson tortoises and establishing assurance populations within their pleistocene range in the united states. B the specific objectives of our research includes:a. Compare vital rates and survivorship between released and captive juvenile tortoises as a function of size, environmental factors, and habitat characteristicsb. Evaluate habitat use and movement patterns as a function of environmental conditions and habitat featuresc. Provide recommendations to the bolson tortoise recovery project and the usfws for future tortoise reintroductions.4. Population dynamics and life history characteristics of rio grande cutthroat trout (rgct) in the upper rio costilla watershed, new mexico. Rio grande cutthroat trout currently occupy about 12% of their historical distribution. To restore rgct natural resource management agencies have instituted various conservation efforts including habitat restorations, species reintroductions, and removal of nonnative fish. Unfortunately, baseline population demographics and dynamics data for lentic populations are largely lacking. These data are necessary for understanding how lentic populations function and for guiding management actions. Furthermore, population-level data can help to identify potential threats (e.g., unsuitable habitat, overexploitation) to the persistence of these critically important populations. The overall goal of our research is to aid the conservation of rio grande cutthroat trout through an improved understanding of the ecology of lentic populations. The specific objectives of our research are to:a. Evaluate the relationship between population structure and habitat characteristics in lakes and streams of the upper rio costilla watershed.b. Evaluate the influence of environmental conditions and population demographics on the timing and extent of adfluvial behavior of rio grande cutthroat trout in costilla resevoir.c. Evaluate potential factors influencing population persistence of rio grande cutthroat trout using a stage-structured population model.d. Provide recommendations to the turner institute of ecoagriculture for the management of rio grande cutthroat trout in lake of the rio costilla watershed.5. Mammalian and herptofauna inventory of the z bar ranch. The gypsum hills of south-central kansas represent a rugged landscape of mesas and bluffs, with eroded canyons and red soils. This prairie landscape contains a number of small rivers and streams that transect the region promoting additional habitats, including wetlands, forested patches, and areas of sandy alluvial soils. The overall purpose of our research is to conduct an inventory of mammals and herpetofauna on the ranch. This will provide a benchmark for understanding which species reside on the ranch, seasonality in which they occur and reproduce, and habitats used by them. Our objectives include:a. Detect presence of and describe habitat associations of rare, imperiled, or unknown mammalian, amphibian, and reptilian species to inform management activities and conservation projects at the ranch.b. Inventory and provide relative abundances and habitat associations of small mammals and herpetofauna communities at the ranch.c. Provide undergraduate students with professional and research opportunity and experience concerning natural history and habitat use patterns of small mammal and herpetofauna occurrences at the ranch.6. Nuclear single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) analysis of yellowstone np satellite herd. In addition to her involvement in bison mtdna studies, elise started a second project in the fall of 2023 that also pertains to bison conservation genetics. The yellowstone national park bison herd is genetically valuable to the conservation of the north american bison due to its significant genetic diversity and a continual history of bison presence in its range since prehistoric times. However, a significant barrier exists that prevents these genetically valuable individuals from being used in starting additional bison conservation herds and supplementing genetic diversity in other bison populations. The objective of this bison snp research project is to is to determine genetic indices in this yellowstone national park-derived satellite herd managed by tei and compare the herd's genetic diversity to that of the original population. This will determine how successful this derived herd is in capturing the diversity of the yellowstone national park herd and the derived herd's genetic implications for wider bison species' conservation. This will be done by utilizing a novel single nucleotide polymorphism (snp) panel developed specifically for the north american bison and intended for use in the population management and conservation of bison (stroupe and derr, 2024). This project will hopefully further validate the novel snp panel as a valuable tool to determine bison population genetic health and demonstrate some of the herd management decisions.