Jeff Bowman

Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Forestry · Wildlife Research and Monitoring Section

The ability to identify regions of high functional connectivity for multiple wildlife species is of conservation interest with respect to forest management and corridor planning. We present a method that does not require independent, field-collected data, is insensitive to the placement of source and destination sites (nodes) for modeling connectiv...

Theoretical models predict strong influences of habitat loss and fragmentation on species distributions and demography, but empirical studies have shown relatively inconsistent support across species and systems. We argue that species’ responses to landscape-scale habitat loss and fragmentation are likely to appear less idiosyncratic if it is recog...

There is now unequivocal evidence for global climate change; however, its potential impacts on evolutionary processes remain unclear. Many species have responded to contemporary climate change through shifts in their geographic range. This could lead to increased sympatry between recently diverged species; likely increasing the potential for hybrid...

We tested the prediction that home range area and dispersal distance in mammals are related when considered independently of body size. Regression of log-transformed data demonstrated that more variance in maximum dispersal distance could be explained by home range area (74%) than could be explained by body size (50%). The relationship between maxi...

Recent assertions in the literature (e.g., Keller et al. 2015) suggest that landscape genetic research has been infrequently applied by practitioners. We were interested to test this assertion, which is difficult to assess, since applications may not be detectable through searches of peer-reviewed literature. Producing publications may not be a goa...

Governments around the world have acknowledged that urgent action is needed to conserve and restore ecological connectivity to help reverse the decline of biodiversity. In this study we tested the hypothesis that functional connectivity for multiple species can be estimated across Canada using a single, upstream connectivity model. We developed a m...

Actions to protect against biodiversity loss and climate change will require a framework that addresses synergies between these interrelated issues. In this study, we present methods for identifying areas important for the implementation of nature-based climate solutions and biodiversity conservation by intersecting high-resolution spatial data for...

Wildlife reservoirs of broad-host-range viruses have the potential to enable evolution of viral variants that can emerge to infect humans. In North America, there is phylogenomic evidence of continual transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) from humans to white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) through unknow...

Actions to protect against biodiversity loss and climate change will require a framework that addresses synergies between these interrelated issues. In this study we present methods for identifying areas important for the implementation of nature-based climate solutions and biodiversity conservation by intersecting high resolution spatial data for...

Purpose The rapid emergence and spread of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has sparked concerns of spillover to naïve wildlife populations and it is unclear if wildlife could ultimately serve as a reservoir for the virus. Evidence of SARS-CoV-2 has been detected in captive and wild animals (e.g., mink, tiger, lion). More...

Wildlife reservoirs of SARS-CoV-2 can lead to viral adaptation and spillback from wildlife to humans (Oude Munnink et al., 2021). In North America, there is evidence of spillover of SARS-CoV-2 from humans to white-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus ), but no evidence of transmission from deer to humans (Hale et al., 2021; Kotwa et al., 2022; Kuch...

While an array of taxa are capable of producing fluorescent pigments, fluorescence in mammals is a novel and poorly understood phenomenon. A first step towards understanding the potential adaptive functions of fluorescence in mammals is to develop an understanding of fluorescent compounds, or fluorophores, that are present in fluorescent tissue. He...

White-tailed deer are susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 and represent a relevant species for surveillance. We investigated SARS-CoV-2 infection in white-tailed deer in Québec, Canada. In November 2021, 251 nasal swabs and 104 retropharyngeal lymph nodes from 258 deer were analyzed for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, whole genome sequencing and virus isolation and 251 thor...

Governments around the world have acknowledged the importance of conserving ecological connectivity to help reverse the decline of biodiversity. In this study we employed recent methodological developments in circuit theory to conduct the first pan-Canadian analysis of multi-species connectivity for all terrestrial regions of the country, at a spat...

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, is capable of infecting a variety of wildlife species. Wildlife living in close contact with humans are at an increased risk of SARS-CoV-2 exposure and if infected have the potential to become a reservoir for the pathogen, maki...

Competition is a driving factor in shaping ecological communities and may act directly or indirectly through apparent competition. We examined a classic example of parasite-mediated competition between northern (Glaucomys sabrinus) and southern flying squirrels (G. volans) via the intestinal nematode, Strongyloides robustus, and tested whether it c...

Northern (Glaucomys sabrinus) and southern (Glaucomys volans) flying squirrels are widespread species distributed across North America. Northern flying squirrels are common inhabitants of the boreal forest, also occurring in coniferous forest remnants farther south, whereas the southern flying squirrel range is centered in eastern temperate woodlan...

While an array of taxa are capable of producing fluorescent pigments, fluorescence in mammals is a novel and poorly understood phenomenon. We believe that a first step towards understanding the potential adaptive functions of fluorescence in mammals is to develop an understanding of fluorescent compounds, or fluorophores, that are present in fluore...

Shifting range boundaries can lead to secondary contact of closely related species, which might in turn lead to hybridization when the evolution of reproductive isolation is incomplete. We examined winter nest use of northern (Glaucomys sabrinus Shaw, 1801) and southern flying squirrels (G. volans Linnaeus, 1758) in an area of recent secondary cont...

We report the first functionally-annotated de novo transcriptome assembly for North American flying squirrels (genus Glaucomys). RNA was extracted from tissue samples obtained from two northern flying squirrels and two southern flying squirrels sampled from Ontario, Canada, and sequenced on an Illumina paired-end sequencing platform. We reconstruct...

Northern ( Glaucomys sabrinus ) and southern ( Glaucomys volans ) flying squirrels are widespread species distributed across much of North America. Northern flying squirrels are common inhabitants of the boreal forest, also occurring in coniferous forest remnants farther south, whereas the southern flying squirrel range is centered in eastern tempe...

Context Maintaining and improving ecological connectivity is an important component of wildlife conservation. Omnidirectional circuit theory algorithms model the flow of electric current across a resistance grid from all directions, making them particularly useful for modeling connectivity of multiple or widespread species, or when source and desti...

Abstract The muskrat (Ondatra zibethicus) is an iconic species in Canada, valued for both its fur and its integral role in wetland ecosystems, and widely regarded for its perseverance. However, the resilience of this semiaquatic mammal seems to be in question now as increasing evidence points to widespread population declines. Recent analyses of ha...

The range of the Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) has contracted substantially from its historical range. Using harvest records, we found that the southern range of the lynx in Ontario in the late 1940s collapsed and then, in a short period of time, increased to its largest extent in the mid‐1960s when the lynx range spread south of the boreal forest...

The muskrat ( Ondatra zibethicus ) is an iconic species in Canada, valued for both its fur and its integral role in wetland ecosystems, and widely regarded for its perseverance. However, the resilience of this semi-aquatic mammal seems to be in question now as increasing evidence points to widespread population declines. Recent analyses of harvest...

A common response to parasite infestations is increased production of glucocorticoid hormones that regulate immune function. We examined relationships between ectoparasite infestations and fecal corticosterone metabolites (FCM) in deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus). Furthermore, we experimentally removed fleas to determine if reductions in ectopara...

Small, isolated populations are prone to inbreeding, increasing the proportion of homozygous sites across the genome that can be quantified as runs of homozygosity (ROH). Caribou (Rangifer tarandus) are declining across their range in Canada; thus, understanding the effects of inbreeding on genetic potential is pertinent for conserving small, isola...

The release of domestic organisms to the wild threatens biodiversity because the introduction of domestic genes through interbreeding can negatively impact wild conspecifics via outbreeding depression. In North America, farmed American mink (Neovison vison) frequently escape captivity, yet the impact of these events on functional genetic diversity...

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Mountain ecotones have the potential to cause multiple patterns in divergence, from simple barrier effects to more fundamental ecological divergence. Most work in mountain ecotones in North America has focused on reinforcement between refugial populations, making prediction of how mountains impact species that are not restricted to separate glacial...

A fundamental assumption of biotelemetry studies is that there are no adverse consequences from the surgical implantation or presence of the acoustic transmitter. In fisheries, most studies have evaluated this assumption over only short time periods (<2 y) in a laboratory setting. Here we compared the survival, growth, and body condition of populat...

Clock genes exhibit substantial control over gene expression and ultimately life-histories using external cues such as photoperiod, and are thus likely to be critical for adaptation to shifting seasonal conditions and novel environments as species redistribute their ranges under climate change. Coding trinucleotide repeats (cTNRs) are found within...

The Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) and the bobcat (Lynx rufus) are closely related species with overlap at their range peripheries, but the factors that limit each species and the interactions between them are not well understood. Habitat selection is a hierarchical process, in which selection at higher orders (geographic range, home range) may cons...

Background Conservation practitioners are often interested in developing land use plans that increase landscape connectivity, which is defined as the degree to which the landscape facilitates or impedes movement among resource patches. Landscape connectivity is often estimated with a cost surface that indicates the varying costs experienced by an o...

Squirrels (Sciuridae) are a diverse group in behavior, morphology, and ecology. This variation is typified by the wide range of vocalizations spanning ground squirrels (Marmotini and Xerini), tree squirrels (Callosciurinae and Sciurini), and flying squirrels (Pteromyini). Squirrels produce calls that range in frequency, modulation, and function, wi...

Harvest records suggest that the abundance of bobcats ( Lynx rufus) has increased and the leading edge of their distribution has spread northward, while the trailing edge of the Canada lynx ( Lynx canadensis) range has contracted in Ontario, Canada. There has been a debate about whether these closely related felids might compete in areas of sympatr...

Hosts are often infested by multiple parasite species, but it is often unclear whether patterns of parasite co-occurrence are driven by parasite habitat requirements or parasite species interactions. Using data on infestation patterns of ectoparasitic arthropods (fleas, trombiculid mites, cuterebrid botflies) from deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus)...

Purpose of Review We asked how the concept of landscape extent is used in conservation planning. To narrow the scope of our review, we focused on four iconic species depicted on Canadian currency: the beaver (Castor canadensis), the caribou (Rangifer tarandus), the common loon (Gavia immer), and the polar bear (Ursus maritimus). Recent Findings La...

Urbanization and associated environmental changes are causing global declines in vertebrate populations. In general, population declines of the magnitudes now detected should lead to reduced effective population sizes for animals living in proximity to humans and disturbed lands. This is a cause for concern because effective population sizes set th...

Abstract The Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River are imposing barriers for wildlife, and the additive effect of urban and agricultural development that dominates the lower Great Lakes region likely further reduces functional connectivity for many terrestrial species. As the climate warms, species will need to track climate across these barriers....

Context Mapping landscape connectivity across large spatial extents is an important component of ecological reserve network designs and species recovery plans. It can, however, be limited by computational power. One way to overcome this problem is to split the study area into smaller tiles, map landscape connectivity within each of those tiles, and...

Urbanization and associated environmental changes are causing global declines in vertebrate populations. In general, population declines of the magnitudes now detected should lead to reduced effective population sizes for animals living in close proximity to humans. This is cause for concern because effective population sizes set the rate of geneti...

Protection and management of adaptively diverse populations is critical to meet the goals of conservation policy and to conserve the evolutionary potential of species into the future. The identification of conservation units below the species level can be a helpful tool in this regard. In Canada, such conservation units are referred to as Designata...

The successful reintroduction of wild turkeys ( Meleagris gallopavo) to Ontario, Canada, has led to established populations in southern portions of the province and currently allows for biannual hunting seasons. These populations geographically overlap domestic turkey farms, an important sector of the provincial agri-food industry. Potential pathog...

Following extirpation from Ontario, Canada, in the early 1900s, Eastern Wild Turkeys (EWTs; Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) were successfully reintroduced to the province in 1984. Despite the subsequent establishment of robust populations and biannual hunting seasons, data on the circulation of potential pathogens in these birds are lacking. Simila...

Population bottlenecks, fragmentation, and isolation can have lasting effects on population genetic structure by decreasing diversity and increasing differentiation among regions. Fishers (Pekania pennanti) were extirpated from many regions of Ontario, Canada, in the early twentieth century because of overharvest, habitat loss, and predator control...

Context. Global climatic changes are increasingly producing observable shifts in species distributions. It is widely believed that the northern distribution of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in North America is limited by cold winter temperatures and deep snow. Under all climate change scenarios, it is likely that the adverse effects of...

Southern flying squirrels have higher circulating cortisol levels than most vertebrates. However, regulation of tissue exposure to cortisol by the hormone's carrier protein, corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG), appears to be altered due to lower-than-expected CBG expression levels, and a reduced affinity for cortisol. To assess the capacity of fl...

Corticosteroid-binding globulin (CBG) helps to regulate tissue bioavailability of circulating glucocorticoids (GCs), and in most vertebrates, ≥80%–90% of GCs bind to this protein. New World flying squirrels have higher plasma total cortisol levels (the primary corticosteroid in sciurids) than most vertebrates. Recent research suggests that flying s...

Contemporary climate change has increased range overlap between northern (Glaucomys sabrinus) and southern (Glaucomys volans) flying squirrels, which has in turn led to interspecific hybridization. Mating in flying squirrels begins in late winter, at a time when squirrels tend to thermoregulate socially (i.e. they huddle in communal nests for warmt...

Rabies and canine distemper virus infections in wildlife share similar presenting signs. Canine distemper virus was detected using real-time PCR of conjunctival swabs in rabies positive raccoons (22/32) and skunks (7/34) during a concurrent rabies and canine distemper outbreak in Ontario, Canada in 2015-2016. Coinfections with both viruses should b...

Les routes et la circulation ont des répercussions néfastes sur nombre de populations fauniques, parce qu'elles augmentent le taux de mortalité animale pour beaucoup d'espèces, sont des obstacles pour le déplacement des animaux et réduisent la quantité et la qualité de l'habitat disponible. Nous sommes de plus en plus intéressés par la réduction de...

Roads and traffic negatively impact many wildlife populations because they increase wildlife mortality, are barriers to animal movement, and reduce the amount and quality of available habitat. There also is increasing concern about the reduction in connectivity for wildlife across roads. This news bulletin summarizes the main results and recommenda...

Au Québec, certains des premiers passages fauniques pour les petits et moyens mammifères ont été installés lors de l'élargissement de la route 175. L'efficacité de 18 structures et des clôtures près de leur entrée a été évaluée grâce à un suivi continu par des caméras de surveillance et des enquêtes sur les animaux frappés par les véhicules au cour...

Au Québec, certains des premiers passages fauniques pour les petits et moyens mammifères ont été installés lors de l’élargissement de la route 175. L’efficacité de 18 structures et des clôtures près de leur entrée a été évaluée grâce à un suivi continu par des caméras de surveillance et des enquêtes sur les animaux frappés par les véhicules au cour...

Background Habitat fragmentation reduces genetic connectivity for multiple species, yet conservation efforts tend to rely heavily on single-species connectivity estimates to inform land-use planning. Such conservation activities may benefit from multi-species connectivity estimates, which provide a simple and practical means to mitigate the effects...

Reintroductions are a common tool for restoring lost biodiversity around the globe and across taxa. The decision to pursue a reintroduction is often based upon the success of past efforts, yet in most cases the assumption that resulting populations are the products of recolonization, is not tested. By collecting data from source populations , reint...

Seasonal cold temperatures require mammals to use morphological, behavioural, or physiological traits to survive periods of extreme cold and food shortage. Torpor is a physiological state that minimizes energy requirements by decreasing resting metabolic rate (MR) and body temperature (Tb). Many rodent species are capable of torpor, however, eviden...

Climate change is predicted to affect the reproductive ecology of wildlife; however, we have yet to understand if and how species can adapt to the rapid pace of change. Clock genes are functional genes likely critical for adaptation to shifting seasonal conditions through shifts in timing cues. Many of these genes contain coding trinucleotide repea...

Sex-specific genetic structure is a commonly observed pattern among vertebrate species. Facing differential selective pressures, individuals may adopt sex-specific life history traits that ultimately shape genetic variation among populations. Although differential dispersal dynamics are commonly detected in the literature, few studies have used gen...

Island populations have long been important for understanding the dynamics and mechanisms of evolution in natural systems. While genetic drift is often strong on islands due to founder events and population bottlenecks, the strength of selection can also be strong enough to counteract the effects of drift. Here, we used several analyses to identify...