Gut morphology and genetic variation as predictors of population vigor in greater prairie-chicken, tympanuchus cupido, in Kansas.

Abstract

Greater prairie-chicken, Tympanuchus cupido, were sampled from populations in the Flint Hills and southeastern Kansas. Populations in the Flint Hills and southeast Kansas were compared for food habits, gut morphology, and genetic constitution. Diet analysis indicated dicotyledonous foliage was consumed in greater volume (E = 0.04) in the Flint Hills. Lengths and weights of small intestines and caeca and weights of gizzards were similar between areas (E > 0.05). Relationships of gut morphology values and dietary analysis indicate nutritionally adequate food availability. Starch-gel electrophoresis was used to examine genic variation at 22 presumptive loci. Mean levels of heterozygosity ranged from 0.008 to 0.045. Genetic similarity values for the populations indicate clustering by areas, however all populations clustered above 0.98 similarity. F-statistics indicated 95% of the total genic diversity was attributable to differences among individual birds. Based on these analyses, all populations seem to be comparatively similar in vigor with no significant divergence between prairie-chicken from the 2 areas in Kansas. Therefore, management of the prairie-chicken should not be concerned with the genetic resources, unless population numbers were to decline drastically. Additional dietary and vegetative analysis during other periods of the year might provide useful information.