The scoop on Red Wolf poop

Keeper Katy and I recently attended a talk at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences titled “The History and Future of the Red Wolf (Canis rufus) in North Carolina.” It was given by Justin Bohling from the University of Idaho, who is a graduate student in Lisette Wait’s lab. Besides giving a good background on the history of the Red Wolf Recovery Project administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS), he presented his application of some new genetic techniquesRead more
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Big Word of the Month: Genetic bottleneck

Biologists use the term “genetic bottleneck” to refer to a period in which population numbers drop dramatically. The name comes from the shape of the graph used to illustrate the phenomenon. Such an event could occur due to disease, lack of food, or rapid climate change. In the recent history of the world, human decimation of species has also led to population bottlenecks. The reduction in genetic diversity that results from a bottleneck can remain for hundreds of generations andRead more