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| Genetics Program |
Aldo Leopold wrote ..."to keep every cog and wheel is the first precaution of intelligent tinkering”. As human development encroaches natural areas, management and conservation of flora and fauna is vital to conserving healthy ecosystems. Because the conservation of wildlands has gained attention both in the public and in the scientific community, wildlife management has transformed from focusing primarily on game species to including nongame species and broader ecosystem approaches. As a conservation biologist, my research goal is to enhance the quality of applied wildlife management by utilizing cutting edge techniques and endeavoring in basic scientific research that is pertinent to wildlife managers.
Black-footed Ferret (Mustela nigripes)
My dissertation research focused on the conservation biology of North America’s most endangered mammal, the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). I documented changes in genetic diversity and morphology that occurred to the species as it passed through a population bottleneck. I found that although black-footed ferrets lost genetic diversity prior to the initiation of captive breeding, they lost no further genetic diversity once in captivity. Did this initial loss of genetic diversity reduce fitness? Several lines of evidence suggest that black-footed ferrets maintained fitness. Litter size and juvenile survival remained the same before and after the bottleneck and a study of fluctuating asymmetry suggested that fitness was not reduced after the bottleneck.
My post-doctoral research, here at the Genetics Program, will focus on the phylogeography of historical populations of black-footed ferrets. I will extract DNA from museum specimens to address questions of historical gene flow and geographic isolation. Results of research will be useful to wildlife managers who are designing a set of reserves for reintroduced black-footed ferrets.
Ph.D., Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, 2001
M.S., Wildlife Management, Humboldt State University, 1997
B.A., Ecology, Evolution, and Animal Behavior, University of California, San Diego, 1991
Aubry, K.B., Wisely, S.M., Raley, C.M., and Buskirk, S.W. 2003. Phylogeography, spacing patterns, and dispersal in fishers: Insights gained from combining field and genetic data. Proceedings of Martes Symposium 2000. In press.
Buskirk, S.W. and Wisely, S.M. In press. Bioappraisal. In: Species at Risk: Economic Incentives to Protect Endangered Species on Private Property, J. Shogren, ed., Austin, TX: University of Texas Press
Wisely, S.M., McDonald, D.B. and Buskirk, S.W. 2003. Evaluation of the species survival plan and captive breeding program for the black-footed ferret. Zoo Biology 22:1-12.
Wisely, S.M., Ososky, J. and Buskirk, S.W. 2002. Morphological changes to black-footed ferrets resulting from captivity. Canadian Journal of Zoology. 80:1562-1568.
Wisely, S.M., Fleming, M., McDonald, D.B., Buskirk, S.W., and Ostrander, E. 2002. Genetic variation in the endangered black-footed ferret before and during a population bottleneck. Journal of Heredity 93:231-237.
S.M. Wisely, S.W. Buskirk, and D.B. McDonald. 2001. Evaluation of the genetic management of the endangered black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Submitted.
S.M. Wisely, J.J. Ososky, and S.W. Buskirk. 2001. Changes in body size of black-footed ferrets (Mustela nigripes) before and during captivity. Submitted.
S.M. Wisely, J.J. Ososky, and S.W. Buskirk. 2001. Environmental and genetic influences of fluctuating asymmetry in the black-footed ferret (Mustela nigripes). Submitted.
Badlands National Park 1 of 5 reintroduction sites.
Revision: October 2001