Conservation of Sharp-Tailed Grouse (\u3cem\u3eTympanuchus phasianellus columbianus\u3c/em\u3e) Through Fecal DNA Extraction

Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse (Tympanuchus phasianellus columbianus) are the rarest of the six extant Sharp-tailed Grouse subspecies. This subspecies experienced a 90% range contraction over the last century and have been extirpated from several states (Figure 1). In Washington alone, populations that once numbered hundreds of thousands of individuals now consist of fewer than 1,000 birds. Conservation efforts—including conservation translocations and habitat management—are underway to help bolster this imperiled subspecies across their range. However, little is known about the ecology of this charismatic species and the factors that may be contributing towards higher rates of decline. The collection of fecal pellets presents an opportunity to better understand Columbian Sharp-tailed Grouse across their range, by providing information on their diet and host ID. As a HERC Fellow in the Conservation Genetics Lab at Boise State University, I have been exploring the potential to use non-invasively collected fecal samples to understand how we can best capture different DNA types, which can be used to better inform the conservation and management of this charismatic grouse

Who’s at the Party?: Exploring Microbial Communities in the Sagebrush Steppe of the Western US

Microbial communities play an important role in ecosystem functionality and health but remain poorly characterized in wild ecosystems. The sagebrush steppe is one of the largest terrestrial ecosystems in North America and is composed of several sagebrush (Artemesia spp.) species. An understanding of the microbial communities may help scientists better understand multi-species interactions and ecosystem functionality. During the Spring semester of 2023, we—a group of researchers from three institutions representing multiple career stages— embarked on a project to characterize these complex bacterial communities from soil communities of the sagebrush steppe and fecal samples from a sagebrush obligate herbivore (the Greater Sage-grouse, Centrocercus urophasianellus). As undergraduate researchers in the Characterizing Complex Communities (C3) VIP Course, we were upskilled in the linux/unix coding language, high-performance computing, and the QIIME2 pipeline to analyze millions of 16S reads from these samples to understand the complex communities. Preliminary results indicate differences between sample types, with some overlap in bacterial communities between soil and fecal samples. In addition to identifying communities, this semester provided an opportunity to explore the skills needed to build and maintain a multi-institutional collaborative research project, including frequent communication, active listening, and team building