Sara J Oyler-McCance, PhD
Dr. Sara Oyler-McCance is a Supervisory Research Geneticist at the Fort Collins Science Center. She is a conservation geneticist studying a wide variety of taxa.
As a research geneticist and director of the Fort Collins Science Center’s Molecular Ecology Lab, Dr. Oyler-McCance’s research is dedicated to the application and advancement of genetic theory and techniques to address a variety of complex questions and conservation issues facing the management of the Nation's fish and wildlife resources and their habitats. Much of her research involves questions concerning threatened and endangered species, yet some involves detection of invasive species. She uses genetic and genomic methods to investigate connectivity and to identify adaptive genetic diversity, both of which are important for ensuring persistence of species of conservation concern. She explores how species are impacted by land use change and changing climates and how to give them the best chance of surviving in a changing world. Her work also explores how to optimally manage the genetic diversity within a species (for example, through translocations) and how to best inventory what species are present and the state of species well-being, persistence, or risk (that is, population size, levels of genetic diversity).
Professional Experience
March 2023 - Present: Acting Branch Chief, Ecosystem and Organismal Ecology Branch, US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
February 1999 - Present: Research Geneticist, US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, Colorado
Education and Certifications
Ph.D. in Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, 1999
M.S. in Wildlife Biology, University of Maine, 1993
B.S. in Biology, University of Michigan, 1991
Affiliations and Memberships*
Affiliate Faculty, Ecosystem Science and Sustainability, Colorado State University
Affiliate Faculty, Fish Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University
Affiliate Faculty, Graduate Degree Program in Ecology, Colorado State University
Affiliate Faculty, Department of Integrative Biology, University of Colorado, Denver
Science and Products
Extensive shared polymorphism at non-MHC immune genes in recently diverged North American prairie grouse
Developing approaches for linear mixed modeling in landscape genetics through landscape-directed dispersal simulations
Polygamy slows down population divergence in shorebirds
Integration of genetic and demographic data to assess population risk in a continuously distributed species
Latent spatial models and sampling design for landscape genetics
Critical considerations for the application of environmental DNA methods to detect aquatic species
Differential influences of local subpopulations on regional diversity and differentiation for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
A field ornithologist’s guide to genomics: Practical considerations for ecology and conservation
Rangewide genetic analysis of Lesser Prairie-Chicken reveals population structure, range expansion, and possible introgression
Contrasting evolutionary histories of MHC class I and class II loci in grouse—Effects of selection and gene conversion
Gunnison Sage-Grouse Centrocercus minimus
Z chromosome divergence, polymorphism and relative effective population size in a genus of lekking birds
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
Science and Products
Extensive shared polymorphism at non-MHC immune genes in recently diverged North American prairie grouse
Developing approaches for linear mixed modeling in landscape genetics through landscape-directed dispersal simulations
Polygamy slows down population divergence in shorebirds
Integration of genetic and demographic data to assess population risk in a continuously distributed species
Latent spatial models and sampling design for landscape genetics
Critical considerations for the application of environmental DNA methods to detect aquatic species
Differential influences of local subpopulations on regional diversity and differentiation for greater sage-grouse (Centrocercus urophasianus)
A field ornithologist’s guide to genomics: Practical considerations for ecology and conservation
Rangewide genetic analysis of Lesser Prairie-Chicken reveals population structure, range expansion, and possible introgression
Contrasting evolutionary histories of MHC class I and class II loci in grouse—Effects of selection and gene conversion
Gunnison Sage-Grouse Centrocercus minimus
Z chromosome divergence, polymorphism and relative effective population size in a genus of lekking birds
Non-USGS Publications**
**Disclaimer: The views expressed in Non-USGS publications are those of the author and do not represent the views of the USGS, Department of the Interior, or the U.S. Government.
*Disclaimer: Listing outside positions with professional scientific organizations on this Staff Profile are for informational purposes only and do not constitute an endorsement of those professional scientific organizations or their activities by the USGS, Department of the Interior, or U.S. Government