Grant: Strategic Projects Supplemental Competition

Invasive or "alien" species can have profound impacts on native biodiversity. Alien species can result in the decline or extinction of native populations and the degradation of ecosystems. Of particular interest is the release of domesticated or cultured organisms in the native range of their natural or "wild" counterparts. These domestic organisms can escape and interact with wild populations, spreading disease or interbreeding and introducing maladaptive genes. Both of these activities can have detrimental effects on wild populations. Domestic mink are extensively farmed for the fur industry, and we have found correlational and genetic evidence of domestic mink escaping into free-ranging populations of mink. This proposal has three major objectives. First, we will engage in a widespread sampling effort to determine if the escape of domestic mink and interbreeding with wild mink occurs at a broad scale. Second, because domestic mink are known to carry Aleutians disease, a lethal parvovirus, we will assess the prevalence and intensity of Aleutians disease in wild mink populations. Finally, sexual selection plays an important role in interbreeding, and thus we will assess mate preferences of wild mink relative to domestic mink, and assess the compatibility of genital morphology between domestic and wild mink.