nena masthead
NENA Home Staff & Editors For Readers For Authors

Tracking the Origin of Raccoon (Procyon lotor) Translocations in Northeastern North America Using Population Genetics

Matthew W. Hopken1,*, Brian Bjorklund2, Clara C.P. Mankowski1, Jordona Kirby3, Richard B. Chipman3, Tore Buchanan4, Larissa Nituch4, Marianne Gagnier5, Ariane Massé5, and Amy T. Gilbert1

1US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, 4101 Laporte Avenue, Fort Collins, CO 80521. 2US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, MA 02222. 3US Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, Wildlife Services, National Rabies Management Program, 59 Chenell Drive, Concord, NH 03301. 4Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section, Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources, 2140 East Bank Drive, Trent University, Peterborough, ON K9L 1Z8, Canada. 5Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Lutte Contre les Changements Climatiques, de la Faune et des Parcs, Gouvernement du Québec, 880 chemin Sainte-Foy, QC G1S 4X4, Canada. *Corresponding author.

Northeastern Naturalist, Volume 31, Issue 4 (2024): 539–554

First published early online: 31 December 2024

Abstract
Human activities have altered natural dispersal patterns of many wildlife species through intentional and accidental translocations. We used population genetics to detect recent long-distance translocations of Procyon lotor (Raccoon) in northeastern North America. Three Raccoons were collected on 2 islands off the US New England coast, with suspected origins in southeastern Canada. We used RADcapture to genotype 1000 microhaplotypes and assign the animals to source locations through comparison to 563 genotypes from the northeastern US and southeastern Canada. The 3 Raccoons assigned to populations associated with the US–Canada border region. Our results add to the sparse scientific literature on Raccoon translocations, highlighting the utility of genetics for detecting long-distance movements of wildlife and implications for disease management.

pdf iconDownload Full-text pdf (Accessible only to subscribers. To subscribe click here.)

 

 



Access Journal Content

Open access browsing of table of contents and abstract pages. Full text pdfs available for download for subscribers.

Issue-in-Progress: Vol. 32 (1) ... early view

Current Issue: Vol. 31(4)
NENA 31(4)

Check out NENA's latest monograph and the current Special Issue In Progress:

Monograph 25
NENA monograph 25

Special Issue 12
NENA special issue 12

All Regular Issues

Monographs

Special Issues

 

submit

 

subscribe

 

JSTOR logoClarivate logoWeb of science logoBioOne logo EbscoHOST logoProQuest logo