Colonization of southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) to urban Nebraska: Range expansion or human assisted translocation?

Authors

• Jennifer Wettschreck, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow
• James Wilson, University of Nebraska at OmahaFollow
• Robert E. Wilson, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
• Abby May, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
• Megan Cary, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
• Jeffrey Huebschman, University of Wisconsin - Platteville
• Sarah A. Sonsthagen, University of Nebraska - Lincoln

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-22-2026

Publication Title

Conservation Genetics

Volume

27

DOI

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-026-01792-9

Abstract

Southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans; Linnaeus 1758) were first observed in Lincoln, Nebraska, in 2018, 80 km north of their described range. Given that southern flying squirrels are a species of concern within Nebraska, determining the origin of this new population (natural expansion or pet-trade) garnered interest from state biologists. Further, the recent colonization of Lincoln by southern flying squirrels presents a unique opportunity to investigate the genetic implications of a founding event on a small arboreal mammal. The Lincoln population had genetic characteristics suggestive of a single-event colonization with fewer rare alleles and lower genetic diversity than potential source populations and a high genetic variation between populations. Sample size and absence of other geographically close populations in our data set make it difficult to ascertain the origin of the Lincoln population. Based on shared co-ancestry and membership assignment clustering algorithms, the Lincoln population had greater genetic associations with an individual sampled from the native south-eastern Nebraska population relative to other studied locations, suggesting that Lincoln was colonized by a native population.

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Comments

This article was published open access using the University of Nebraska at Omaha Criss Library's Springer open access publishing agreement. 

Recommended Citation

Wettschreck, Jennifer; Wilson, James; Wilson, Robert E.; May, Abby; Cary, Megan; Huebschman, Jeffrey; and Sonsthagen, Sarah A., "Colonization of southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) to urban Nebraska: Range expansion or human assisted translocation?" (2026). Biology Faculty Publications. 201.
https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/biofacpub/201

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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.