Demographic and Genetic Evaluation of an American Marten Reintroduction: A Comment on Swanson et al

Molecular genetic techniques have been widely used to evaluate management actions, including the success of species reintroductions. However, conclusions drawn from genetic characterizations must be interpreted in the context of the sampling design and degree of uncertainty underlying genetic parameter estimation and assumptions of analyses performed. For example, failure to correctly identify and sample appropriate groups of individuals for comparative analyses will bias estimates of summary measures of genetic diversity, intersample variance in gene frequency, and derivations of effective population size or degree of reduction or bottlenecks in numerical abundance. We critically evaluate the foundational assumptions underlying the sampling design and analytical methods employed by Swanson and colleagues. Inaccuracies in reporting the founding population history of American marten (Martes americana) in Michigan and high levels of uncertainty underlying estimates of effective population size, bottleneck history, and demographic sustainability suggest that the authors' genetic data are misrepresented.