Jennifer Fike
Science and Products
Molecular Genetics
The use of molecular genetics has become increasingly important in addressing wildlife conservation issues. In the Fort Collins Science Center Molecular Ecology Lab, scientists answer complex questions and conservation issues facing the management of the Nation's fish and wildlife resources. For example, FORT scientists can now locate genes that may contribute to a species' ability to respond...
Molecular Ecology Lab (MEL)
The Molecular Ecology Laboratory applies genetic and genomic technologies to address a variety of complex questions and conservation issues facing the management of the Nation's fish and wildlife resources. Together with our partners, we design and implement studies to document genetic diversity and the distribution of genetic variation among individuals, populations, and species. Information...
Conservation Genomics
Conservation genomics is a new field of science that applies novel whole-genome sequencing technology to problems in conservation biology. Rapidly advancing molecular technologies are revolutionizing wildlife ecology, greatly expanding our understanding of wildlife and their interactions with the environment. In the same way that molecular tools such as microsatellites revolutionized wildlife...
Landscape Genetics
Landscape genetics is a recently developed discipline that involves the merger of molecular population genetics and landscape ecology. The goal of this new field of study is to provide information about the interaction between landscape features and microevolutionary processes such as gene flow, genetic drift, and selection allowing for the understanding of processes that generate genetic...
Molecular Tagging
Molecular tagging is a new application of molecular genetic techniques to traditional mark-recapture methodology designed to address situations where traditional methods fail. In such studies, non-invasively collected samples (such as feces, feathers, or fur) are used as a source of DNA that is then genotyped at multiple loci such that each individual animal can be uniquely identified. Thus,...
Environmental DNA (eDNA)
Environmental DNA (eDNA) is organismal DNA that can be found in the environment. Environmental DNA originates from cellular material shed by organisms (via skin, excrement, etc.) into aquatic or terrestrial environments that can be sampled and monitored using new molecular methods. Such methodology is important for the early detection of invasive species as well as the detection of rare and...
Taxonomic Uncertainty
Taxonomic uncertainty can be assessed using genetic data, along with other lines of evidence (such as morphological and behavioral characteristics). Such data can be used to identify and assess taxonomic boundaries (species, subspecies, hybrids) and in many cases redefine them. Such delineations are highly relevant for species status determinations (endangered, threatened, or at-risk).
Family Relationships and Mating Systems
Family relationships and mating systems can be investigated and defined using genetic data. This information is potentially important for conservation and management as it may influence effective population size and levels of genetic diversity.
Taxonomic composition of environmental DNA acquired by filtration from the St. Regis River, New York
Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys have become important tools for monitoring aquatic biodiversity. Barcode sequencing of eDNA generates community profiles that, while potentially biased in both capture and amplification, can nonetheless yield high information content per unit cost. While factors affecting eDNA capture and amplification have been heavily studied, watershed-scale assessmen
Characterizing range-wide population divergence in an alpine-endemic bird: A comparison of genetic and genomic approaches
The delineation of intraspecific units that are evolutionarily and demographically distinct is an important step in the development of species-specific management plans. Neutral genetic variation has served as the primary data source for delineating “evolutionarily significant units,” but with recent advances in genomic technology, we now have an...
Langin, Kathryn; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Cornman, Robert S.; Martin, Kathy M; Wann, Greg T; Seglund, Amy E; Schroeder, Michael A; Benson, David P; Fedy, Brad C.; Young, Jessica R.; Wilson, Scott D.; Wolfe, Don H; Braun, Clait E.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J. Development of microsatellite loci for two New World vultures (Cathartidae)
ObjectiveUse next-generation sequencing to develop microsatellite loci that will provide the variability necessary for studies of genetic diversity and population connectivity of two New World vulture species.ResultsWe characterized 11 microsatellite loci for black vultures (Coragyps atratus) and 14 loci for turkey vultures (Cathartes aura). These...
Wostenberg, Darren J; Fike, Jennifer A.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Avery, Michael L.; Piaggio, Antoinette J. Post-release breeding of translocated sharp-tailed grouse and an absence of artificial insemination effects
Context: Translocation has become a widely used method to restore wildlife populations following extirpation. For some species, such as lekking grouse, which breed at traditional mating grounds, reproduction is linked to culturally established geographic locations. Cultural centres are lost upon extirpation, making restoration into otherwise...
Mathews, Steven R.; Coates, Peter S.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Schneider, Helena; Fischer, Dominik; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Lierz, Michael; Delehanty, David J. An experimental comparison of composite and grab sampling of stream water for metagenetic analysis of environmental DNA
Use of environmental DNA (eDNA) to assess distributions of aquatic and semi-aquatic macroorganisms is promising, but sampling schemes may need to be tailored to specific objectives. Given the potentially high variance in aquatic eDNA among replicate grab samples, compositing smaller water volumes collected over a period of time may be more...
Cornman, Robert S.; McKenna, James E.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Johnson, Robin Genetic mark–recapture improves estimates of maternity colony size for Indiana bats
Genetic mark–recapture methods are increasingly being used to estimate demographic parameters in species where traditional techniques are problematic or imprecise. The federally endangered Indiana bat Myotis sodalis has declined dramatically and threats such as white-nose syndrome continue to afflict this species. To date, important...
Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Lukacs, Paul M.; Sparks, Dale W.; O'Shea, Thomas J.; Whitaker, John O. Long-term persistence of horse fecal DNA in the environment makes equids particularly good candidates for non-invasive sampling
Fecal DNA collected noninvasively can provide valuable information about genetic and ecological characteristics. This approach has rarely been used for equids, despite the need for conservation of endangered species and management of abundant feral populations. We examined factors affecting the efficacy of using equid fecal samples for...
King, Sarah R.B.; Schoenecker, Kathryn A.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J. Rangewide genetic analysis of Lesser Prairie-Chicken reveals population structure, range expansion, and possible introgression
The distribution of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus) has been markedly reduced due to loss and fragmentation of habitat. Portions of the historical range, however, have been recolonized and even expanded due to planting of conservation reserve program (CRP) fields that provide favorable vegetation structure for Lesser...
Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; DeYoung, Randall W; Fike, Jennifer A.; Hagen, Christian A.; Johnson, Jeff A.; Larsson, Lena C.; Patten, Michael Z chromosome divergence, polymorphism and relative effective population size in a genus of lekking birds
Sex chromosomes contribute disproportionately to species boundaries as they diverge faster than autosomes and often have reduced diversity. Their hemizygous nature contributes to faster divergence and reduced diversity, as do some types of selection. In birds, other factors (mating system and bottlenecks) can further decrease the effective...
Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Cornman, Robert S.; Kenneth L. Jones; Fike, Jennifer A. Landscape characteristics influencing the genetic structure of greater sage-grouse within the stronghold of their range: a holistic modeling approach
Given the significance of animal dispersal to population dynamics and geographic variability, understanding how dispersal is impacted by landscape patterns has major ecological and conservation importance. Speaking to the importance of dispersal, the use of linear mixed models to compare genetic differentiation with pairwise resistance derived...
Row, Jeff R; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Fike, Jennifer A.; O'Donnell, Michael; Doherty, Kevin E.; Aldridge, Cameron L.; Bowen, Zachary H.; Fedy, Brad C. Environmental DNA (eDNA) sampling improves occurrence and detection estimates of invasive Burmese pythons
Environmental DNA (eDNA) methods are used to detect DNA that is shed into the aquatic environment by cryptic or low density species. Applied in eDNA studies, occupancy models can be used to estimate occurrence and detection probabilities and thereby account for imperfect detection. However, occupancy terminology has been applied inconsistently in...
Hunter, Margaret E.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Dorazio, Robert M.; Fike, Jennifer A.; Smith, Brian J.; Hunter, Charles T.; Reed, Robert N.; Hart, Kristen M. Development of 13 microsatellites for Gunnison Sage-grouse (Centrocercus minimus) using next-generation shotgun sequencing and their utility in Greater Sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
Gunnison Sage-grouse are an obligate sagebrush species that has experienced significant population declines and has been proposed for listing under the U.S. Endangered Species Act. In order to examine levels of connectivity among Gunnison Sage-grouse leks, we identified 13 novel microsatellite loci though next-generation shotgun sequencing, and...
Fike, Jennifer A.; Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Zimmerman, Shawna J; Castoe, Todd A. Genomic single-nucleotide polymorphisms confirm that Gunnison and Greater sage-grouse are genetically well differentiated and that the Bi-State population is distinct
Sage-grouse are iconic, declining inhabitants of sagebrush habitats in western North America, and their management depends on an understanding of genetic variation across the landscape. Two distinct species of sage-grouse have been recognized, Greater (Centrocercus urophasianus) and Gunnison sage-grouse (C. minimus), based on morphology, behavior...
Oyler-McCance, Sara J.; Cornman, Robert S.; Jones, Kenneth L.; Fike, Jennifer A.