Chronic Wasting Disease Research at
the USGS-Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit
Application of landscape genetics to predicting the spread of
chronic wasting disease in Wisconsin
Understanding likely
distances and direction of CWD spread in free-ranging animals is necessary to
predict rates and spread of disease, the impact of CWD on deer populations, and
to develop effective strategies for control. The overall objective of this
research project is to use a landscape genetics approach across south-central
WI to characterize the relationship between landscape characteristics, fine
scale spatial population genetic structure, and the distribution and potential
spread of chronic wasting disease in white-tailed deer.
Our specific objectives are
three-fold:
1) Characterize deer spatial
genetic structure across south-central WI- We will use samples from harvested
deer and molecular genetic markers to characterize the spatial pattern of
genetic diversity and variation on the landscape. From these data we will
predict distance, direction, and rates of deer dispersal.
2) Identify whether
characteristics of the landscape in south-central WI help to explain the
pattern of spatial genetic structure observed in the deer population over and
above geographic distance- We will identify landscape features such as rivers,
major highways, habitat types (e.g., agricultural, forested, amount of thermal
cover), and degree of fragmentation that are associated with patterns of
genetic connectivity or discontinuity across the study region.
3) Use the pattern of deer
spatial genetic structure and the landscape characteristics identified to facilitate
or impede deer movement to inform predictive models gene flow and predict
chronic wasting disease spread across south-central WI- Results of this study
will be used to help understand the disease dynamics of CWD, the spatial spread
of disease and its relationship to deer movement and landscape features, and
assist management agencies in developing appropriate management and
surveillance strategies for this disease.
Co-Investigator:
Dr. Kim T. Scribner, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife,
Former Research Associate: Dr. Julie A. Blanchong