Data and code from: Retroviral infections affect survival and clutch size of female wild turkeys

Pathogens can regulate or decimate free-ranging wildlife populations. Wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo), which are widespread across the United States, southern Canada, and northern and central Mexico, are a prized upland gamebird that has experienced dramatic population growth and range expansion as the result of reintroduction campaigns. While increased abundance may promote disease transmission, little is known about the effects of pathogen infections on demographic metrics in wild turkeys. Lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV) and reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV) are oncogenic retroviruses that infect poultry and wild turkeys and can result in disease and mortality, though most infected individuals appear asymptomatic. We investigated whether retroviral infections influence wild turkey fitness by evaluating effects on female survival and several reproduction metrics. We live-captured 163 female wild turkeys throughout central Maine, USA, during three winters, from 2018–2020. We..., Field methods We captured 163 live female turkeys over three winter seasons (Jan–Mar) using rocket or drop nets from 29 capture sites, located mostly in central and southern Maine (Figure 1). For all captured birds, we recorded the year of capture, body mass, and determined sex. We also determined age by observing primary wing feathers, which are consistent in length with the middle feathers of the tail fan for adults but are not uniform in length compared to the middle feathers of the tail fan for sub-adults (less than one year old; Dickson 1992). Each captured wild turkey was fitted with one of three unique transmitter models: (1) an 80g VHF backpack-style harness transmitter (n = 91; Advanced Telemetry Systems, Isanti, Minnesota), (2) a 90g GPS backpack-style harness transmitter with a built in VHF component (n = 46; Lotek Wireless Fish and Wildlife Monitoring, Newmarket, Ontario, CA), or (3) a 12g VHF necklace transmitter (n = 26; Advanced telemetry Systems, Isanti, Minnesota). For ..., # Data and code from: Retroviral infections affect survival and clutch size of female wild turkeys Dataset DOI: [10.5061/dryad.5tb2rbpgm](10.5061/dryad.5tb2rbpgm) ## Description of the data and file structure **Summary of Experimental Efforts** Between January and March of 2018–2020, we captured **163 female wild turkeys** across 29 sites in central and southern Maine using rocket or drop nets. Upon capture, we recorded body mass, determined sex and age class (adult or sub-adult), and fitted each bird with one of three transmitter types for tracking survival and reproduction: * **VHF backpack-style transmitter** (n = 91) * **GPS backpack-style transmitter with VHF** (n = 46) * **VHF necklace-style transmitter** (n = 26) Blood samples were collected from 163 individuals for **molecular diagnostics** of two retroviruses: **lymphoproliferative disease virus (LPDV)** and **reticuloendotheliosis virus (REV)**. DNA was extracted from either the buffy coat or whole blood and tested via P..., ,