Date of Award
6-12-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Biology, MS
First Advisor
Ronald Johnson
Committee Members
Andrew Sweet; Kyle Gustafson; Virginie Rolland
Call Number
ISBN 9798280761445
Abstract
The Ozark pocket gopher Geomys bursarius ozarkensis is a highly isolated and restricted subspecies of the plains pocket gopher endemic to Izard Co., Arkansas. This isolation may have impacts genetically and may have caused speciation of their chewing louse. First, I updated the distribution and confirmed occupation at 46 previously documented and 91 additional sites, a 34% increase in areal range. Next, I evaluated natal dispersal which was rare (9.1%) and occurred over shorter distances (≤ 63 m) than for other gopher species. Analysis of single nucleotide polymorphisms from contemporary populations and museum specimens indicated a high genetic structure among the populations that are associated with the alluvial soil deposits of creek systems. Finally, based on morphology and cox1 of the mitochondrial genome, I found strong evidence that lice hosted by Ozark pocket gophers are distinct from other known species of Geomydoecus lice and are a unique species: Geomydoecus izardensis.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Reusche, Monica Raquel, "Genetic Structuring of the Ozark Pocket Gopher (Geomys Bursarius Ozarkensis) And Coevolution with Its Geomydoecus Ectoparasites" (2025). Student Theses and Dissertations. 1063.
https://arch.astate.edu/all-etd/1063
