Cascades Carnivore Connectivity Project: Evaluating Highway Barriers to Carnivore Movement in the Washington Cascades. 2010 Final Report

摘要

Landscape-scale connectivity, which allows animals to move within ecosystems and provides for genetic exchange with outside populations, is a crucial component of carnivore recovery and conservation. Transportation corridors characterized by high road densities and substantial vehicle traffic can result in 'fracture zones' that are detrimental to carnivore populations because they increase mortality and inhibit natural patterns of animal movement. This scenario becomes all the more pressing in the context of climate change, which may require large geographical shifts for some wildlife populations. The Cascades Carnivore Connectivity Project (CCCP) is an extensive, multi-partner effort to study and ultimately help reduce the barrier effects of major highways and development on carnivores in the North Cascades Ecosystem (NCE) of Washington. More specifically, CCCP is assessing: (1) where carnivore species of interest occur in this region; (2) the effects of fracture zones on the distribution of these species; and (3) whether highways are serving as barriers to genetic exchange among subpopulations. Using noninvasive genetic data, we are employing a suite of population and landscape genetic approaches to evaluate the effects of I-90, Route 2, and Highway 20 on genetic structuring among focal carnivore populations.