Abundance and population genetic structure of coyotes on a newly colonized barrier island wildlife research

Understanding the number and distribution of coyotes on barrier islands is key to enacting their management, because they are known to have significant effects on sensitive species. Using fecal genotyping, we studied the number individuals and the population structure of coyotes on Sanibel Island, FL. We found that there are more coyotes on the island than previously estimated by observations and camera traps and that they belong to two genetic clusters, one of which appears to be a resident population, highlighting the complex population biology of invasive predators, even on small barrier islands.