Pliocene–Early Pleistocene Geological Events Structure Pacific Martens (Martes caurina)

Schwartz, Michael K.; Walters, Ashley D.; Pilgrim, Kristine L.; Moriarty, Katie M.; Slauson, Keith M.; Zielinski, William J.; Aubry, Keith B.; Sacks, Benjamin N.; Zarn, Katherine E.; Quinn, Cate B.; Young, Michael K.

doi:10.1093/jhered/esaa005

Cited by 7 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 79 publications

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“…Humboldt martens ( Martes caurina humboldtensis ) are a distinct subspecies of the Pacific marten ( M. caurina ) that historically occurred throughout coastal forests of northern California and Oregon ( Schwartz et al, 2020 ). Humboldt martens were thought to be increasingly rare almost a century ago ( Grinnell & Dixon, 1926 ) and were considered to be extirpated in California and extremely rare in Oregon for the latter half of the 20th century ( Zielinski et al, 2001 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicted distribution of a rare and understudied forest carnivore: Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis)

Moriarty

Thompson

Delheimer

et al. 2021

PeerJ

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Background Many mammalian species have experienced range contractions. Following a reduction in distribution that has resulted in apparently small and disjunct populations, the Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis) was recently designated as federally Threatened and state Endangered. This subspecies of Pacific marten occurring in coastal Oregon and northern California, also known as coastal martens, appear unlike martens that occur in snow-associated regions in that vegetation associations appear to differ widely between Humboldt marten populations. We expected current distributions represent realized niches, but estimating factors associated with long-term occurrence was challenging for this rare and little-known species. Here, we assessed the predicted contemporary distribution of Humboldt martens and interpret our findings as hypotheses correlated with the subspecies’ niche to inform strategic conservation actions. Methods We modeled Humboldt marten distribution using a maximum entropy (Maxent) approach. We spatially-thinned 10,229 marten locations collected from 1996–2020 by applying a minimum distance of 500-m between locations, resulting in 384 locations used to assess correlations of marten occurrence with biotic and abiotic variables. We independently optimized the spatial scale of each variable and focused development of model variables on biotic associations (e.g., hypothesized relationships with forest conditions), given that abiotic factors such as precipitation are largely static and not alterable within a management context. Results Humboldt marten locations were positively associated with increased shrub cover (salal (Gautheria shallon)), mast producing trees (e.g., tanoak, Notholithocarpus densiflorus), increased pine (Pinus sp.) proportion of total basal area, annual precipitation at home-range spatial scales, low and high amounts of canopy cover and slope, and cooler August temperatures. Unlike other recent literature, we found little evidence that Humboldt martens were associated with old-growth structural indices. This case study provides an example of how limited information on rare or lesser-known species can lead to differing interpretations, emphasizing the need for study-level replication in ecology. Humboldt marten conservation would benefit from continued survey effort to clarify range extent, population sizes, and fine-scale habitat use.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predicted distribution of a rare and understudied forest carnivore: Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis)

Moriarty

Thompson

Delheimer

et al. 2021

PeerJ

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“…Humboldt martens ( Martes caurina humboldtensis ; synonymous with “coastal” martens), a subgroup of Pacific martens ( M. caurina ; Schwartz et al, 2020), exemplify the challenges of rare and cryptic species conservation. Martens are small‐bodied, solitary carnivores that exhibit high vagility (Moriarty et al, 2017), defense of relatively large territories (Buskirk & MacDonald, 1989), and avoidance of interspecific predators or competitors (Kautz et al, 2021).…”

Section: Humboldt Marten: a Case Study In Rare Species Conservationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conservation of rare and cryptic species: Challenges of uncertainty and opportunities for progress

Martin

Delheimer

Moriarty

et al. 2022

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Effective conservation of at‐risk species presents a conundrum, often requiring rapid status assessments and timely actions regardless of the adequacy of best available information. Here, we present a case study on Humboldt martens (Martes caurina humboldtensis), a rare and cryptic carnivore listed as threatened in 2020 under the United States Endangered Species Act. Given their rarity, many aspects of Humboldt marten population ecology remain understudied. To help inform marten conservation, we conducted exploratory analyses to estimate population growth by incorporating empirically derived data into two demographic modeling approaches. Population growth rates from each approach exhibited substantial variability and were uninformative to evaluating population status. Our results highlight the inherent difficulties of studying cryptic animals and exemplify the issues of using sparse or uncertain data in potentially consequential circumstances. Considering the shortcomings of our findings, we provide a framework of reliable actions to improve future conservation outcomes for poorly‐understood species.

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“…Schwartz et al (2020) orLynch (2020). Within M. caurina, insular and continental lineages are genetically distinct (Figure2d; Supporting Information 5) despite mitochondrial nesting.…”

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confidence: 98%

Whole‐genome resequencing reveals persistence of forest‐associated mammals in Late Pleistocene refugia along North America’s North Pacific Coast

Colella

Lan

Talbot

et al. 2021

Journal of Biogeography

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Aim: Numerous glacial refugia have been hypothesized along North America's North Pacific Coast that may have increased divergence of refugial taxa, leading to elevated endemism and subsequently clustered hybrid zones following deglaciation. The locations and community composition of these ice-free areas remains controversial, but whole-genome sequences now enable detailed analysis of the demographic and evolutionary histories of refugial taxa. Here, we use genomic data to test spatial and temporal processes of diversification among martens with respect to the Coastal Refugium Hypothesis, to understand the role of climate cycling in shaping diversity across complex landscapes.Location: North America and North Pacific Coast archipelagos. Taxon: North American martens (Martes).Methods: Short-read whole-genome resequencing data were generated for 11 martens: four M. americana, four M. caurina, two hybrids, and one outgroup (Martes zibellina). Sampling was representative of known genetic clades within New World martens, including sampling within insular and continental hybrid zones and along the North Pacific Coast (five island populations). ADMIXTURE, F-statistics, and Dstatistics (ABBA-BABA) were used to identify introgression and infer directionality.Heterozygosity densities, estimated via PSMC, were used to characterize historical demography at and below the species level to infer refugial and colonization processes. Results: Forest-associated Pacific martens (M. caurina) are divided into distinct insular and continental clades consistent with the Coastal Refugium Hypothesis. There was no evidence of introgression on islands that received historical translocations of American pine martens (M. americana), but introgression was detected in two active zones of secondary contact: one insular and one continental. Only early-generational hybrids were identified across multiple hybrid zones, a pattern consistent with potential genetic swamping of M. caurina by M. americana. Main conclusions: Despite an incomplete fossil record, genomic evidence supports the persistence of forest-associated martens, likely the insular Pacific marten lineage, along the western edges of the Alexander Archipelago during the Last Glacial Maximum. This discovery informs our understanding of refugial paleoenvironments,

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Pliocene–Early Pleistocene Geological Events Structure Pacific Martens (Martes caurina)

Cited by 7 publications

References 79 publications

Predicted distribution of a rare and understudied forest carnivore: Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis)

Predicted distribution of a rare and understudied forest carnivore: Humboldt marten (Martes caurina humboldtensis)

Conservation of rare and cryptic species: Challenges of uncertainty and opportunities for progress

Whole‐genome resequencing reveals persistence of forest‐associated mammals in Late Pleistocene refugia along North America’s North Pacific Coast

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