Holly B. Ernest
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View article: Resolving the evolutionary history of bighorn sheep to inform future management: an answer to the California bighorn lineage question
Resolving the evolutionary history of bighorn sheep to inform future management: an answer to the California bighorn lineage question Open
Although translocations can be effective for augmenting and restoring wild populations, they can disrupt native patterns of genetic structure, diversity, and local adaptation, thereby hampering conservation efforts. Managers must weigh pot…
View article: Illuminating the Mysteries of the Smallest Birds: Hummingbird Population Health, Disease Ecology, and Genomics
Illuminating the Mysteries of the Smallest Birds: Hummingbird Population Health, Disease Ecology, and Genomics Open
Hummingbirds share biologically distinctive traits: sustained hovering flight, the smallest bird body size, and high metabolic rates fueled partially by nectar feeding that provides pollination to plant species. Being insectivorous and som…
View article: Evaluation of minimally invasive sampling methods for detecting Avipoxvirus: Hummingbirds as a case example
Evaluation of minimally invasive sampling methods for detecting Avipoxvirus: Hummingbirds as a case example Open
Avian pox is a common avian virus that in its cutaneous form can cause characteristic lesions on a bird's dermal surfaces. Detection of avian pox in free-ranging birds historically relied on observations of visual lesions and/or histopatho…
View article: Development of a 95 SNP panel to individually genotype mountain lions (Puma concolor) for microfluidic and other genotyping platforms
Development of a 95 SNP panel to individually genotype mountain lions (Puma concolor) for microfluidic and other genotyping platforms Open
The mountain lion ( Puma concolor ) is one of the few remaining large predators in California, USA with density estimation from fecal genotypes becoming an essential component of conservation and management. In highly urbanized southern Ca…
View article: Multi‐population puma connectivity could restore genomic diversity to at‐risk coastal populations in California
Multi‐population puma connectivity could restore genomic diversity to at‐risk coastal populations in California Open
Urbanization is decreasing wildlife habitat and connectivity worldwide, including for apex predators, such as the puma ( Puma concolor ). Puma populations along California's central and southern coastal habitats have experienced rapid frag…
View article: Development of a 95 SNP Panel To Individually Genotype Mountain Lions (Puma Concolor) For Microfluidic and Other Genotyping Platforms
Development of a 95 SNP Panel To Individually Genotype Mountain Lions (Puma Concolor) For Microfluidic and Other Genotyping Platforms Open
The mountain lion ( Puma concolor ) is one of the few remaining large predators in California, USA with density estimation from fecal genotypes becoming an essential component of conservation and management. In highly urbanized southern Ca…
View article: Broad-scale puma connectivity could restore genomic diversity to fine-scale coastal populations
Broad-scale puma connectivity could restore genomic diversity to fine-scale coastal populations Open
Urbanization is decreasing wildlife habitat and connectivity worldwide, including for apex predators, such as the puma ( Puma concolor ). Puma populations along California’s central and southern coastal habitats have experienced rapid frag…
View article: Spatio-temporal analyses reveal infectious disease-driven selection in a free-ranging ungulate
Spatio-temporal analyses reveal infectious disease-driven selection in a free-ranging ungulate Open
Infectious diseases play an important role in wildlife population dynamics by altering individual fitness, but detecting disease-driven natural selection in free-ranging populations is difficult due to complex disease–host relationships. C…
View article: Functional connectivity in a continuously distributed, migratory species as revealed by landscape genomics
Functional connectivity in a continuously distributed, migratory species as revealed by landscape genomics Open
Maintaining functional connectivity is critical for the long‐term conservation of wildlife populations. Landscape genomics provides an opportunity to assess long‐term functional connectivity by relating environmental variables to spatial p…
View article: Host relatedness and landscape connectivity shape pathogen spread in the puma, a large secretive carnivore
Host relatedness and landscape connectivity shape pathogen spread in the puma, a large secretive carnivore Open
View article: Correction to: Novel hybrid finds a peri-urban niche: Allen’s Hummingbirds in southern California
Correction to: Novel hybrid finds a peri-urban niche: Allen’s Hummingbirds in southern California Open
View article: Minimum habitat thresholds required for conserving mountain lion genetic diversity
Minimum habitat thresholds required for conserving mountain lion genetic diversity Open
Jointly considering the ecology (e.g., habitat use) and genetics (e.g., population genetic structure and diversity) of a species can increase understanding of current conservation status and inform future management practices. Previous ana…
View article: Pronghorn population genomics show connectivity in the core of their range
Pronghorn population genomics show connectivity in the core of their range Open
Preserving connectivity in the core of a species’ range is crucial for long-term persistence. However, a combination of ecological characteristics, social behavior, and landscape features can reduce connectivity among wildlife populations …
View article: Hematology of mountain lions (Puma concolor) in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA: effect of sex, season, or location?
Hematology of mountain lions (Puma concolor) in the Sierra Nevada, California, USA: effect of sex, season, or location? Open
There is a paucity of published hematological data for wild, free-ranging mountain lions (Puma concolor). We collected such information from mountain lions occurring at mid-elevations to increase available baseline information. We captured…
View article: Host relatedness and landscape connectivity shape pathogen spread in a large secretive carnivore
Host relatedness and landscape connectivity shape pathogen spread in a large secretive carnivore Open
Urban expansion can fundamentally alter wildlife movement and gene flow, but how urbanization alters pathogen spread is poorly understood. Here we combine high resolution host and viral genomic data with landscape variables to examine the …
View article: Urbanization impacts apex predator gene flow but not genetic diversity across an urban-rural divide
Urbanization impacts apex predator gene flow but not genetic diversity across an urban-rural divide Open
Apex predators are important indicators of intact natural ecosystems. They are also sensitive to urbanization because they require broad home ranges and extensive contiguous habitat to support their prey base. Pumas ( Puma concolor ) can p…
View article: Serum chemistry of wild, free-ranging mountain lions (Puma concolor) in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, USA
Serum chemistry of wild, free-ranging mountain lions (Puma concolor) in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, USA Open
We report descriptive statistics and reference intervals for serum chemistry from 43 unique mountain lions captured in the eastern Sierra Nevada, California, for ecological or genetic investigations during 1993-2004.We tested for differenc…
View article: Pathogens in space: Advancing understanding of pathogen dynamics and disease ecology through landscape genetics
Pathogens in space: Advancing understanding of pathogen dynamics and disease ecology through landscape genetics Open
Landscape genetics has provided many insights into how heterogeneous landscape features drive processes influencing spatial genetic variation in free‐living organisms. This rapidly developing field has focused heavily on vertebrates, and e…
View article: Measures of effective population size in sea otters reveal special considerations for wide‐ranging species
Measures of effective population size in sea otters reveal special considerations for wide‐ranging species Open
Conservation genetic techniques and considerations of the evolutionary potential of a species are increasingly being applied to species conservation. For example, effective population size ( N e ) estimates are useful for determining the c…
View article: Are all data types and connectivity models created equal? Validating common connectivity approaches with dispersal data
Are all data types and connectivity models created equal? Validating common connectivity approaches with dispersal data Open
Aim There is enormous interest in applying connectivity modelling to resistance surfaces for identifying corridors for conservation action. However, the multiple analytical approaches used to estimate resistance surfaces and predict connec…
View article: Founder events, isolation, and inbreeding: Intercontinental genetic structure of the domestic ferret
Founder events, isolation, and inbreeding: Intercontinental genetic structure of the domestic ferret Open
Domestication and breeding for human‐desired morphological traits can reduce population genetic diversity via founder events and artificial selection, resulting in inbreeding depression and genetic disorders. The ferret ( Mustela putorius …
View article: Multi-level, multi-scale resource selection functions and resistance surfaces for conservation planning: Pumas as a case study
Multi-level, multi-scale resource selection functions and resistance surfaces for conservation planning: Pumas as a case study Open
The importance of examining multiple hierarchical levels when modeling resource use for wildlife has been acknowledged for decades. Multi-level resource selection functions have recently been promoted as a method to synthesize resource use…
View article: Anthropogenic factors predict movement of an invasive species
Anthropogenic factors predict movement of an invasive species Open
Humans are playing an increasingly large role in the expansion of invasive species' distributions, but few (if any) studies have evaluated anthropogenic factors associated with intentional translocation of invasives. The wild pig ( Sus scr…
View article: A single migrant enhances the genetic diversity of an inbred puma population
A single migrant enhances the genetic diversity of an inbred puma population Open
Migration is essential for maintaining genetic diversity among populations, and pumas ( Puma concolor ) provide an excellent model for studying the genetic impacts of migrants on populations isolated by increasing human development. In den…
View article: Mitogenomes and relatedness do not predict frequency of tool-use by sea otters
Mitogenomes and relatedness do not predict frequency of tool-use by sea otters Open
Many ecological aspects of tool-use in sea otters are similar to those in Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. Within an area, most tool-using dolphins share a single mitochondrial haplotype and are more related to each other than to the popu…
View article: Supplementary material from "A single migrant enhances the genetic diversity of an inbred puma population"
Supplementary material from "A single migrant enhances the genetic diversity of an inbred puma population" Open
Migration is essential for maintaining genetic diversity among populations, and pumas (Puma concolor) provide an excellent model for studying the genetic impacts of migrants on populations isolated by increasing human development. I…
View article: Tool-use frequency from Mitogenomes and relatedness do not predict frequency of tool-use by sea otters
Tool-use frequency from Mitogenomes and relatedness do not predict frequency of tool-use by sea otters Open
Average frequency of tool use of individual sea otters. Animals used in this study are a subset of those presented here. The distribution of tool-use frequency was used to define frequent tool-users as individuals that used tools in at lea…
View article: Supplementary material from "Mitogenomes and relatedness do not predict frequency of tool-use by sea otters"
Supplementary material from "Mitogenomes and relatedness do not predict frequency of tool-use by sea otters" Open
Many ecological aspects of tool-use in sea otters are similar to those in Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins. Within an area, most tool-using dolphins share a single mitochondrial haplotype and are more related to each other than to the popu…
View article: Comparing Urban and Wildland Bear Densities with a DNA-Based Capture-Mark-Recapture Approach
Comparing Urban and Wildland Bear Densities with a DNA-Based Capture-Mark-Recapture Approach Open
California’s black bear (Ursus americanus) population has tripled over the last 3 decades, causing an increased incidence of human–bear conflicts, many of which now occur in urban areas. Consequently, it is imperative that bear managers ha…
View article: Interactions between demography, genetics, and landscape connectivity increase extinction probability for a small population of large carnivores in a major metropolitan area
Interactions between demography, genetics, and landscape connectivity increase extinction probability for a small population of large carnivores in a major metropolitan area Open
The extinction vortex is a theoretical model describing the process by which extinction risk is elevated in small, isolated populations owing to interactions between environmental, demographic, and genetic factors. However, empirical demon…