Discordance between taxonomy and population genomic data: An avian example relevant to the United States Endangered Species Act.

Population genomics can reveal cryptic biological diversity that may impact fitness while simultaneously serving to delineate relevant conservation units. Here, we leverage the power of whole-genome resequencing for conservation by studying 433 individual lesser prairie-chicken (; LEPC, a federally endangered species of conservation concern in the United States) and greater prairie-chicken (; GRPC, a legally huntable species throughout much of its range). The genomic diversity of two formally recognized distinct population segments (DPSs) of LEPCs is similar, but they are genetically distinct.

A Highly Contiguous and Annotated Genome Assembly of the Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus).

The Lesser Prairie-Chicken (Tympanuchus pallidicinctus; LEPC) is an iconic North American prairie grouse, renowned for ornate and spectacular breeding season displays. Unfortunately, the species has disappeared across much of its historical range, with corresponding precipitous declines in contemporary population abundance, largely due to climatic and anthropogenic factors. These declines led to a 2022 US Fish and Wildlife decision to identify and list two distinct population segments (DPSs; i.