Research description
The development of molecular genetic tools to genotype animals from traces has revolutionized the study of elusive or dangerous animals. Research in the Eggert lab combines field studies, molecular genetic data, and GIS analyses to address questions about the ecology and evolution of these species, particularly those that are of conservation concern.
Current projects include field and laboratory studies aimed at refining the methods I use for "genetic censusing" of elusive species in the forests of Africa and Asia. Using DNA extracted from elephant dung samples, I have used multilocus genotypes as genetic tags for the purpose of estimating population sizes, and sex-specific markers to estimate sex ratios. The methods I developed for African and Asian elephants have generated a great deal of interest from those charged with managing and monitoring their populations, but census information is only one of the many ways in which they can be used. We are now conducting studies of the behavior and social structure of African elephants. In the forests of Central Africa, groups of forest elephants visit patches of savanna or forest clearings, allowing for behavioral studies of relatedness and social group structure in this species. In Kenya, we are working with the African Conservation Centre (ACC) to study savanna elephants that are beginning to recolonize an area from which they have been excluded for decades.
I am also interested in intraspecific phylogeography. While my previous projects in this area have primarily dealt with the definition of evolutionarily significant units (ESUs) for conservation management, I also use these methods to help us better understand the evolution of traits that may have facilitated the adaptation of species to new or changing environments. New and improved methods of data analysis make this an exciting area of research today.
While some of my interests are focused internationally, I am also interested in studying species closer to home. As an example, we have conducted a preliminary study of the black bears of southern Missouri. In regions where there have been recent sightings, we used scented baits to attract bears to hair-snags. The hair samples were used as DNA sources, and we used DNA genotyping to ask questions about the numbers of individuals, the sex ratio of those individuals, as well as whether bears in Missouri constitute a breeding population or are primarily dispersers from outside the state. In a second study, we are collaborating with colleagues in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences in an investigation of correlations between genetic diversity and the prevalence of ecto- and endoparasites in raccoons. We are currently expanding my previous study of the horses of Assateague Island National Seashore to other island horse populations along the eastern coast of the US, asking questions about their ecological and genetic “exchangeability”. In the fall of 2008, we began a collaborative study with the Missouri Department of Conservation of otters in a number of rivers in southern Missouri. We are using non-invasive samples to learn more about otter population dynamics and to gain a better understanding of how variance in otter numbers influences prey populations. One of our goals is to develop a model that describes the relationship between scat counts in latrines during the non-breeding season with numbers of individual otters. This tool will be useful in monitoring otter populations.
Selected publications
Eggert, L. S., Beadell, J., McClung, A., McIntosh, C. E., and R.C. Fleischer. 2009. Evolution of microsatellites in the adaptive radiation of Hawaiian honeycreepers. Journal of Heredity 100:137-147.
Johnson, J. R., Faries, K. M., Rabenold, J. J., Crowhurst, R., Briggler, J. T., Koppelman, J. B., and Eggert, L. S. In press. Polymorphic di- and tetranucleotide microsatellite loci for studies of the hellbender (Cryptobranchus alleganiensis bishopi). Conservation Genetics.
Eggert, L.S., Terwilliger, L.A., Woodworth, B.A., Hart, P., Palmer, D., and R.C. Fleischer. 2008. Genetic structure along an elevational gradient in Hawaiian honeycreepers. BMC Evolutionary Biology 8: 315.
Lukacs, P. M., Eggert, L. S. and K.P. Burnham. 2007. Estimating population size from dung-based DNA capture–recapture data. Wildlife Biology in Practice 3: 83-92.
Eggert, L. S., Maldonado, J. E., and Fleischer, R. C. 2005. Nucleic acid isolation from ecological samples: animal scat and other associated materials. In: Molecular Evolution: Producing the Biochemical Data, Part B. Methods in Enzymology 6:73-87.
Eggert, L. S., Eggert, J. A. and Woodruff, D. S. 2003. Estimating population sizes for elusive animals: the forest elephants of Kakum National Park, Ghana. Molecular Ecology 12:1389-1402.
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