New DNA research may help conserve threatened rattlesnake species
New DNA research has found genetic differences between rattlesnakes in different areas in B.C.
The DNA from hundreds of rattlesnakes around B.C. is under the microscope at the University of British Columbia Okanagan.
Danielle Schmidt, a biology masters student at the Kelowna campus, is studying more than 800 samples of rattlesnake DNA taken from snakes around the Okanagan, Kamloops, Lillooet and Ashcroft areas.
This is the first population study of western rattlesnakes in B.C., according to Schmidt.
Western rattlesnakes have been listed by the province as a species of special concern. The federal government has classified them as a "threatened" species.
Their survival is important because rattlesnakes play a crucial role in the ecosystem, controlling rodent populations that can harm crops, said Schmidt.
Schmidt, who collaborated with other students and researchers over the past year, says understanding the differences between snakes in different areas may help to protect the threatened species.
Preliminary analysis has found that the snake populations in Kamloops are genetically distinct and different from the rest of the snakes in the same range of study, Schmidt told Daybreak South host Chris Walker.
Schmidt and her team also found that snakes in Vernon are genetically distinct and different from all the other populations.
The UBC research team has detected three distinct genetic populations of rattlesnakes so far.
The researchers will pass this genetic information to those who work to conserve rattlesnake populations. In the future, researchers can then determine which populations of rattlesnakes need more attention and allocate resources accordingly.
"If you're seeing that some populations have lower genetic diversity than others, you know you want to find strategies to either help maintain that variation so it doesn't dwindle down, or encourage more gene flow between populations," said Schmidt.
A big strategy is to protect the habitats of rattlesnakes. Learning about genetic diversity teaches researchers how to best conserve the habitat of a specific rattlesnake population, said Schmidt.
Roads that run through rattlesnake habitats might have a role to play in genetic separations in rattlesnakes as well. Some graduate students at Thompson Rivers University are looking at how roads affect the mortality, survival, behaviour and ecology of snakes, said Schmidt.
Schmidt said there are still many questions about the genetic information that need to be answered.
"Since this is the first genetic study, we're hoping to get a baseline of what the [population] distribution looks like across the range … and really get at what's driving this genetic variation."
Listen to the full interview here:
With files from Daybreak South