Muskrats as a bellwether of a drying delta

Abstract

Ward et al. investigate population dynamics of a wetland indicator species, the semi-aquatic muskrat, within the large and protected area of the Peace-Athabasca Delta in Canada. The authors found indications of rapid population increases associated with flood events, genetic signatures of population bottlenecks, long range dispersal dynamics, and declines in the spatial extent of the muskrat population indicative of the impacts of wetland loss even within a protected ecosystem.