Northern Great Plains Swift Fox Connectivity Project
Under construction.
New England Cottontail and Eastern Cottontail Hybridization
The New England Cottontail (Sylvilagus transitionalis) is the only native species of cottontail to the northeastern United States. During the last 50 years, the New England cottontail's range has declined 80%, primarily due to loss of suitable habitat and secondarily from competition with eastern cottontails (Sylvilagus floridanus). As the eastern cottontail increases its abundance in areas coinhabited by the New England cottontail, the potential for interspecific hybridization increases and may contribute to the decline of the New England cottontail.
Due to the difficulty of identifying hybrids by morphological characteristics alone, we used molecular techniques to determine if hybridization was occurring between these two cottontail species. To do this, we compared microsatellite alleles extracted from fecal samples of New England and eastern cottontails in areas where they are allopatric (n=30) and sympatric (n=30).
Our results did not support the hypothesis that hybridization was occurring between New England and eastern cottontails and therefore management actions should focus on creating more early-successional habitat and reducing population fragmentation.
Due to the difficulty of identifying hybrids by morphological characteristics alone, we used molecular techniques to determine if hybridization was occurring between these two cottontail species. To do this, we compared microsatellite alleles extracted from fecal samples of New England and eastern cottontails in areas where they are allopatric (n=30) and sympatric (n=30).
Our results did not support the hypothesis that hybridization was occurring between New England and eastern cottontails and therefore management actions should focus on creating more early-successional habitat and reducing population fragmentation.