Measuring pentosidinne in skin biopsies to reliably age scoters
Project Number: 148
Year Funded: 2016
Lead Institution(s): Biodiversity Research Institute, Virginia Tech, West Virgina University
Project Lead: Lucas Savoy
Collaborator(s): Jesse Fallon (Virginia Tech U), Hillar Klandorf (West Virginia U)
Location: North America
Focal Species: Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata), White-winged Scoter (Melanitta delgandi)
Project Description: We collected skin samples from known-aged captive surf scoter and white-winged scoter to evaluate the technique of measuring pentosidine to establish a scoter age index curve. The development of an accurate scoter age index curve would establish a novel wildlife management tool which could be used to age wild scoters, either through live-capture and sampling efforts or the use of parts collections, such as hunter shot birds or wings collected through the annual flyway harvest surveys. The major goal of this study is to provide a quantitative age index model for scoters to be utilized in subsequent sampling efforts of live or harvested scoters, to evaluate longevity and survivorship parameters in wild North American scoters.
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