Graduation Date
Fall 2023
Document Type
Thesis
Program
Master of Science degree with a major in Biology
Committee Chair Name
Dr. Joseph Szewczak
Committee Chair Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Second Committee Member Name
Dr. Daniel Hayes
Second Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Third Committee Member Name
Dr. Ho Yi Wan
Third Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Fourth Committee Member Name
Dr. Karen Kiemnec-Tyburczy
Fourth Committee Member Affiliation
HSU Faculty or Staff
Fifth Committee Member Name
Dr. Devaughn Fraser
Fifth Committee Member Affiliation
Community Member or Outside Professional
Keywords
Lasiurus, Borealis, Frantzii, Distribution, Sympatry, Eastern, Western, Red bat, Sequencing, Morphometrics, Pelage, lcWGS, Hybridization, Biogeography, Phylogenetics, Bat, Range, Genomics
Subject Categories
Biology
Abstract
Several recent accounts of overlap and historic misidentifications regarding two species of the genus Lasiurus, Western red bat (Lasiurus frantzii) and Eastern red bat (Lasiurus borealis), have cast doubt on our understanding of their distribution, assumed spatial allopatry, and interactions in the United States Southwest. With the use of morphometrics and genetic sequencing, utilizing tissue collected from specimens throughout California and adjoining states, we have reassessed the current distribution, best practices for field identification, and genetic differentiation between both species. Appropriate species classification by region was achieved utilizing mitochondrial DNA, targeting the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene, and genetic discrepancies were assessed through lower coverage whole genome sequencing (lcWGS). All samples included morphometrics and pelage records to identify possible congruence in segregating the species phenotypically. We have confirmed L. borealis in four counties in southern California, one county in northern California, and 1 county in southern Arizona, displaying sympatry between both L. frantzii and L. borealis in the west. The lcWGS results verified the high level of divergence and genetic segregation between both species indicating little to no hybridization potential. No conclusive morphometric differentiation could be distinguished through physical metrics, but pelage has proven to have consistent discrepancies by region. The extent of L. borealis in the Western United States seems limited to the southern most areas of each state in the Southwest, but more sampling will be necessary to infer their true extent. The results acquired from this study strengthens our limited understanding of this dynamic group by inferring on their basic biology, their distinctive characteristics, and altogether aid in future conservation and research.
Citation Style
Journal of Wildlife
Recommended Citation
Haidar, Zeinab M., "Genetic evaluation of the current distribution and possible diffrentations between Lasiurus borealis and Lasiurus frantzii in southwestern North America" (2023). Cal Poly Humboldt theses and projects. 717.
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/etd/717
Included in
Biology Commons, Cell and Developmental Biology Commons, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Commons, Genetics and Genomics Commons, Research Methods in Life Sciences Commons, Zoology Commons