糖心视频

For decades, a population of grouse in south鈥慶entral Wyoming and northwest Colorado has been identified as Columbian sharp鈥憈ailed grouse, the same subspecies that can be found in far western Wyoming near Jackson along with Idaho, northern Utah and parts of the Pacific Northwest.

But new research led by University of Wyoming scientists has found that the 8,000鈥�10,000 sharp鈥憈ailed grouse found in the shrublands and high deserts of southern Carbon County and northwest Colorado are not Columbian sharp鈥憈ailed grouse. Nor are they more closely related to plains sharp鈥憈ailed grouse鈥攁 subspecies found in portions of the northern Great Plains in the United States and Canada, including eastern Wyoming鈥攁s was suggested by other researchers in 2006.

Rather, the birds potentially represent a distinct subspecies of sharp鈥憈ailed grouse that has been isolated from other populations of the bird for many years. The discovery could have major implications for wildlife managers in Wyoming and other states in the Intermountain West and Pacific Northwest.

The work is in the journal Ecology and Evolution.

"Our results may potentially change the current understanding of sharp鈥憈ailed grouse subspecies in western North America, which can impact how to manage them," wrote the researchers, led by recent UW Ph.D. graduate Jonathan Lautenbach and Professor Jeff Beck, of UW's Department of Ecosystem Science and Management.

Currently, there are six recognized subspecies of sharp鈥憈ailed grouse in North America, generally separated geographically and by the habitats they occupy. They're closely related to greater and lesser prairie chickens, which inhabit portions of the grasslands and shrublands of the Great Plains. In Wyoming, plains sharp鈥憈ailed grouse can be found in the grasslands of the eastern part of the state.

The sharp鈥憈ailed grouse found in Wyoming's southern Carbon County and northwest Colorado鈥攚hich the UW researchers now suggest could be a distinct subspecies鈥攁re isolated from the plains sharp鈥憈ailed grouse to the east, as well as from the Columbian sharp鈥憈ailed grouse farther west. But the isolated group has been categorized and managed as Columbian sharp鈥憈ailed grouse for many years.

The UW researchers used multiple lines of evidence to show that the south鈥慶entral Wyoming sharp鈥憈ailed grouse are neither Columbian sharp鈥憈ailed grouse nor plains sharp鈥憈ailed grouse. They examined habitat characteristics, the birds' appearance and two types of genetic data鈥攃ombined with computer modeling鈥攖o reach their conclusion.

"Across all four datasets and both modeling techniques, we found that each population (Columbian, plains and south鈥慶entral Wyoming sharp鈥憈ailed grouse) generally represented its own cluster," the scientists wrote. "Our results suggest that the population of sharp鈥憈ailed grouse in south鈥慶entral Wyoming is different from both Columbian and plains sharp鈥憈ailed grouse."

Among the conservation and management implications of these new findings is a potential 10% to 20% decrease in the total number of birds recognized as Columbian sharp鈥憈ailed grouse, whose population has been estimated to be between 41,000鈥�62,000 across multiple states and British Columbia. Due to habitat fragmentation and declining numbers, the Columbian sharp鈥憈ailed grouse has been petitioned for listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Additionally, the researchers say any efforts to boost Columbian sharp鈥憈ailed grouse numbers in states including Nevada, Oregon and Washington should not involve translocating sharp鈥憈ailed grouse from the isolated population of sharp鈥憈ailed grouse in south鈥慶entral Wyoming and northwest Colorado. In addition to concerns about maintaining genetic integrity, the scientists note there are habitat differences between the two populations.

"Currently, habitat management actions are applied uniformly between Columbian sharp鈥憈ailed grouse and populations of sharp鈥憈ailed grouse in south鈥慶entral Wyoming and northwest Colorado," the researchers wrote. "Our results suggest a need to reevaluate habitat management approaches for sharp鈥憈ailed grouse across the range of these species/subspecies in Wyoming, Idaho and northwest Colorado."

Other members of the research team were from the University of North Texas, Boise State University, the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, and the George Miksch Sutton Avian Research Center in Bartlesville, Oklahoma.