Dakota Skipper Surveillance, Monitoring, and Assessment
The Dakota Skipper is a small butterfly that once lived throughout the grasslands of the north-central U.S. and south-central Canada but is now listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Extensive historical loss of native prairie habitats combined with climate change, drought, wildfire, and invasive species have contributed to its decline. Federal, state, tribal, and non-government organizations are attempting to document the current range of the Dakota Skipper to better inform conservation planning and decision making. USGS researchers will develop a method for detecting Dakota Skipper DNA from environmental DNA-- or eDNA-- samples collected from flowers. The method will be tested using butterflies housed at the Minnesota Zoo and, in cooperation with BLM, USFWS, and Minnesota Zoo biologists, at field locations where the species has been observed. Surveillance based on detection of eDNA from rare or secretive species is a highly sensitive, non-invasive strategy for monitoring pollinators in the wild and could help managers pinpoint areas to prioritize for conservation.
Read more about collaborative efforts to conserve the Dakota skipper and the prairie grasslands of the northern U.S. on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website: The Butterfly Effect: A Small Voice with a Big Story
The Dakota Skipper is a small butterfly that once lived throughout the grasslands of the north-central U.S. and south-central Canada but is now listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
Extensive historical loss of native prairie habitats combined with climate change, drought, wildfire, and invasive species have contributed to its decline. Federal, state, tribal, and non-government organizations are attempting to document the current range of the Dakota Skipper to better inform conservation planning and decision making. USGS researchers will develop a method for detecting Dakota Skipper DNA from environmental DNA-- or eDNA-- samples collected from flowers. The method will be tested using butterflies housed at the Minnesota Zoo and, in cooperation with BLM, USFWS, and Minnesota Zoo biologists, at field locations where the species has been observed. Surveillance based on detection of eDNA from rare or secretive species is a highly sensitive, non-invasive strategy for monitoring pollinators in the wild and could help managers pinpoint areas to prioritize for conservation.
Read more about collaborative efforts to conserve the Dakota skipper and the prairie grasslands of the northern U.S. on the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's website: The Butterfly Effect: A Small Voice with a Big Story