LE3 .A278 2005

2005

Herman, Tom

Acadia University

Bachelor of Science

Honours

Biology

Biology

The Eastern Ribbonsnake, Thamnophis sauritus is one of a suite of disjunct species that reach the limit of their ranges in southwest Nova Scotia. As a population found on the periphery, T. sauritus may face selective pressures that its main range counterparts do not. Such populations are of conservation interest because of their vulnerability and because of their potential adaptability to rapid environmental change. In 2002, the Atlantic population of Eastern Ribbonsnake was designated as “Threatened†by COSEWIC. As a result, the Eastern Ribbonsnake presents an opportunity to study a disjunct and peripheral population while concurrently developing a conservation plan. To date, little is known about the ecology or population genetic structure of this species. Prior to this study no population genetics work has been done on T. sauritus, anywhere. Examining the genetic structure of this snake in Nova Scotia will allow us to measure the variability and its past and present distribution. It will also help to establish the species’ susceptibility to fragmentation and isolation, and determine the appropriate scale for management. In summer 2004 tail clippings were taken from 44 snakes in three locations in and around Kejimkujik National Park and Historic Site. A standard phenol/chloroform DNA extraction was used to obtain genomic DNA from these individuals. As no primers have been developed for the Eastern Ribbonsnake, nine pairs of microsatellite primers designed for the common garter snake, T. siritalis were tested. To date three loci have been successfully amplified and analyzed, one of which exhibited polymorphism with four alleles. Initial analysis of two loci, Te1Ca29 and Ts1Ca4 indicates no genetic structure between two known populations.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:444