Abstract
Habitat fragmentation and landscape modification are main drivers of biodiversity loss across all taxonomic groups; therefore, evaluating the effect of these threats should be of utmost priority to conservation biologists. A reduction of a small dispersal corridor can have major effects on small populations such as eventual inbreeding and loss of fitness.The ringtail, Bassariscus astutus, is a small, nocturnal Procyonid listed as a fully protected species by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife. The species is considered vulnerable due to restricted range and relatively few populations. In the Central Valley of Northern California, ringtails have been documented along riparian corridors and in chaparral foothills. However, it has been hypothesized that they are experiencing long-term population declines due to habitat loss and degradation, yet no studies on their abundances in this area have been published in recent decades and no management plans have been enacted.
Samples for genetic analysis were procured from 1) live ringtails, 2) scat, 3) hair retrieved from snares, and 4) hair, bone, and claw from historical specimens. DNA from 32 samples was sequenced at a small region of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene and five novel haplotypes identified. This study resulted in measures of genetic differentiation and should be a beginning to a much more comprehensive investigation into ringtail population structure and genetic health.