Achievement

Daryl Trumbo has been working on an interdisciplinary landscape genetics project, which is a collaboration with multiple researchers (graduate students, professors, and Idaho Fish and Wildlife agency personnel) with varying disciplinary expertise (landscape ecology, population genetics, conservation biology) from multiple countries (United States and Canada). Using recently developed gravity-modeling techniques, they are investigating the landscape genetic relationships of two Idaho ground squirrels of conservation concern (Spermophilus brunneus brunneus and S. b. endemicus) throughout their restricted geographic ranges (Zero et al. in preparation). Results will provide key insights on landscape factors restricting gene flow in this sensitive species, as well as an empirical test of new gravity modeling techniques compared to prior research on the species using more traditional population and landscape genetic techniques.