Data from: Genetic rescue, the greater prairie chicken and the problem of conservation reliance in the Anthropocene

A central question in conservation is how best to manage biodiversity,
despite human domination of global processes (= Anthropocene). Common
responses (i.e. translocations, genetic rescue) forestall potential
extirpations, yet have an uncertain duration. A textbook example is the
greater prairie chicken (GRPC: Tympanuchus cupido pinnatus), where
translocations (1992–1998) seemingly rescued genetically depauperate
Illinois populations. We re-evaluated this situation after two decades by
genotyping 21 microsatellite loci from 1831 shed feathers across six leks
in two counties over 4 years (2010–2013). Low migration rates (less than
1%) established each county as demographically independent, but with
declining-population estimates (4 year average N = 79). Leks were
genetically similar and significantly bottlenecked, with low effective
population sizes (average Ne = 13.1; 4 year Ne/N = 0.166). Genetic
structure was defined by 12 significantly different family groups, with
relatedness r = 0.31 > half-sib r = 0.25. Average heterozygosity,
indicating short-term survival, did not differ among contemporary, pre-
and post-translocated populations, whereas allelic diversity did. Our
results, the natural history of GRPC (i.e. few leks, male dominance
hierarchies) and its controlled immigration suggest demographic expansion
rather than genetic rescue. Legal protection under the endangered species
act (ESA) may enhance recovery, but could exacerbate political–economic
concerns on how best to manage ‘conservation-reliant’ species, for which
GRPC is now an exemplar.