togata (Quebec QUE, n = 3 Ontario ONT, n = 2 Nova Scotia NS, n = 6), B. umbelloides (Alberta ALB, n = 3 Manitoba MTB, n = 14), B. togata (Wisconsin WI, n = 21 Minnesota MN, n = 10 Vermont VT, n = 5). monticola (North Carolina NC, n = 3 Pennsylvania PN, n = 5 Tennessee TN, n = 2 Kentucky KY, n = 2), B. incana (Idaho ID, n = 2 Montana MT, n = 1 North Dakota ND, n = 8 South Dakota SD, n = 3), B. We examined 100 individuals, representing seven subspecies as follows: United States: B.

Tissue biopsies (brain, heart, and liver) were collected earlier by wildlife game agents during hunting season. In this study, we used nucleotide sequence data from a fragment of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene to: (1) determine whether patterns of genetic variation are congruent with current taxonomic designations of several subspecies and (2) test hypotheses related to the demographic history of the species. To the best of our knowledge, the only genetic study of ruffed grouse assesses the landscape genetics of populations from the extreme western range of the species. Although previous studies clearly document morphological and ecological differences across the ruffed grouse’s range, morphology-based taxonomy is not always congruent with geographic patterns of genetic variation, thus making it difficult to identify units of conservation. These variable traits contribute to the taxonomic designation of 11 to 16 subspecies. Throughout its range, the ruffed grouse shows considerable variation of feathering on the tarsus, plumage color, and ecology. Given its importance as a game species, the ruffed grouse has received considerable attention from those interested in its ecology and management. The ruffed grouse ( Bonasa umbellus) is the most broadly distributed species of grouse in North America, occupying early-succession deciduous and coniferous forests in the United States and Canada. Historically, the ruffed grouse probably experienced a population expansion, possibly in response to changes during the Pleistocene. Behavioral traits prohibiting long-distance movement and barriers to dispersal in response to physiography and unsuitable habitat help explain these patterns of subdivision. This subdivision partially coincided with the ranges of described subspecies. Patterns of mtDNA variation revealed geographic subdivision, with populations of ruffed grouse subdivided into 3 to 4 genetically distinct groups. Additionally, we evaluate the demographic history of the species based on mitochondrial haplotype diversity. We compare patterns of mtDNA variation to those characterized by morphology and ecology. Our objective is to examine patterns of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) variation in the ruffed grouse across western, central, and eastern parts of its distribution. Except for a genetic study of some western populations of ruffed grouse, nothing is known about genetic variation in other regions of Canada and the United States. The ruffed grouse, Bonasa umbellus, is broadly distributed across North America and displays considerable taxonomic diversity.

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