The success of non-native species may depend on the genetic resources maintained through the invasion process. The Coqui (Eleutherodactylus coqui), a frog endemic to Puerto Rico, was introduced to Hawaii in the late 1980s via the horticulture trade, and has become an aggressive invader. To explore whether genetic diversity and population structure changed with the introduction, we assessed individuals from 15 populations across the Hawaiian Islands and 13 populations across Puerto Rico using six to nine polymorphic microsatellite loci and five dorsolateral colour patterns. Allelic richness (R(T)) and gene diversity were significantly higher in Puerto Rico than in Hawaii populations. Hawaii also had fewer colour patterns (two versus three to five per population) than Puerto Rico. We found no isolation by distance in the introduced range, even though it exists in the native range. Results suggest extensive mixing among frog populations across Hawaii, and that their spread has been facilitated by humans. Like previous research, our results suggest that Hawaiian Coquis were founded by individuals from sites around San Juan, but unlike previous research the colour pattern and molecular genetic data (nuclear and mtDNA) support two separate introductions, one on the island of Hawaii and one on Maui. Coquis are successful invaders in Hawaii despite the loss of genetic variation. Future introductions may increase genetic variation and potentially its range.

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Nine polymorphic microsatellite loci were developed for the North American pika (Ochotona princeps) from di‐ and tetranucleotide repeat‐enriched genomic libraries. Polymorphism was assessed for 165 individuals from eight geographical locations in the western United States. All loci were polymorphic. The number of alleles per locus ranged from three to 14, with observed heterozygosity between 0.189 and 0.822. All loci were in Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium (< 0.05). Regional differences were evident with unique alleles at multiple loci in six of eight populations.

The Lahontan cutthroat trout Oncorhynchus clarki henshawi, an interior basin salmonid, is endemic to the hydrographic Lahontan Basin, which encompasses parts of northern Nevada, northeastern California, and southeastern Oregon. This subspecies is currently listed as threatened under the 1975 U.S. Endangered Species Act. Landscape‐ and population‐level research suggests that this subspecies has survived in a desert environment by living in large, interconnected stream and/or stream‐and‐lake systems that support a metapopulation dynamic. Threats to the subspecies include habitat fragmentation as well as competition and hybridization with nonnative salmonids. Hybridization with the closely related rainbow trout O. mykiss compromises rangewide recovery efforts by increasing the risk of introgression and subsequent loss of pure populations in restored population networks. Here we use a suite of highly variable genetic markers (microsatellites, simple sequence repeats, and arbitrarily amplified regions) to assess levels of hybridization between Lahontan cutthroat trout and rainbow trout in the McDermitt Creek stream system located in the northwestern Lahontan Basin. The McDermitt Creek stream system is the only potentially networked stream system in the Quinn River/Black Rock Desert distinct population segment (DPS). Three populations (Sage Creek, Line Canyon Creek, and Indian Creek) targeted for reconnection were assessed for hybridization status. The Line Canyon Creek population was the only pure Lahontan cutthroat trout population. The Sage Creek and Indian Creek populations had varying levels of introgression. Fixation index (FST) results showed significant genetic differentiation among Quinn River, Humboldt River, and Western Basin DPS populations (pairwise FST estimates ≥ 0.3, P = 0.00064). Due to the limited number of pure populations in the Quinn River/Black Rock Desert DPS and their genetic distinctiveness, preservation of the populations is warranted, despite limited introgression.

RRV, the rhesus macaque equivalent to HHV-8 or kaposi's sarcoma-associated herpesvirus (KSHV) was recently isolated from a simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) infected macaque with a lymphoproliferative disorder. The growth of RRV in tissue culture requires propagation of primary rhesus monkey fibroblasts (RFs). In an effort to extend the life of these primary cells in tissue culture, the catalytic subunit of telomerase (hTERT) was introduced into RF cells using a recombinant retrovirus. This new cell line, Telo-RFs, have currently been passed in tissue culture over 80 times compared to a maximum passage number of 38 for wild type RFs, remain fully permissive for RRV DNA replication and production of infectious virus. Viral gene expression of immediate-early and early RNA transcripts was virtually identical to that observed in wild-type (wt) RFs. In addition, transfection experiments show that telo-RFs are easily and more efficiently transfected than wtRFs.