J Wildl Dis 2022 01;58(1):63-75
Wildlife Genomics and Disease Ecology Lab, Department of Veterinary Sciences, University of Wyoming, 1174 Snowy Range Road, Laramie, Wyoming 82070, USA.
Southern sea otter (Enhydra lutris nereis) population recovery is influenced by a variety of factors, including predation, biotoxin exposure, infectious disease, oil spills, habitat degradation, and resource limitation. This population has also experienced a significant genetic bottleneck, resulting in low genetic diversity. We investigated how two metrics, familial relatedness and genetic diversity, are correlated with common causes of mortality in southern sea otters, including cardiomyopathy, acanthocephalan (Profilicollis spp. Read More