Abstract
American Dippers (Cinclus mexicanus) were once known to occur in streams throughout the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, but now dippers number about 50–75 individuals and reside almost exclusively in a single stream. The recent decline of the American Dipper in the Black Hills of South Dakota is thought to be due to local stream degradation. As a result of the decline of C. mexicanus in the Black Hills of South Dakota and Wyoming, the Black Hills population of American Dippers is a candidate for designation as a distinct population segement (DPS) and might warrant protection and special management. One criterion for DPS designation is genetic uniqueness. Here we present the results of a genetic assessment of the Black Hills population of C. mexicanus. Data presented here indicate that the dipper population in the Black Hills is genetically distinct from other sampled populations. Further population sampling will be needed to understand the genetic population structure of C. mexicanus throughout its range. Furthermore, the recent decline in the Black Hills dipper population should be a warning that other populations (and other species) may be experiencing similar declines and that such montane habitats are worthy of special management.
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Acknowledgements
Thanks to Professor Lukas Keller, Zoological Museum, University of Zurich, Switzerland, for providing invaluable primer sequences developed in European Dipper; Doug Backlund (South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks) for collection of American Dipper samples from the Black Hills and Big Horns. This study was supported in part by NSF Grant No. 0320651, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency CR-83152201, South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks, and NIH Grant Number 2 P20 RR016479 from the INBRE Program of the National Center for Research Resources. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official views of NIH.
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Anderson, C.M., Spellman, G.M., Ferrell, C.S. et al. Conservation genetics of American Dipper (Cinclus mexicanus): the genetic status of a population in severe decline. Conserv Genet 9, 939–944 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9429-5
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-007-9429-5