SITKA, ALASKA
It’s called ISLES, or Island Surveys to Locate Endemic Species. Jon Martin says “endemic” is another way that biologists say “unique.”
“There are a variety of ways an animal can become unique. In Southeast Alaska we have islands, with deepwater passages in between them. Oftentimes we think about Chatham Strait, for example, where animals become effectively isolated in geographic areas. There’s a lot of inbreeding that happens, potentially, in these populations. So over time – and were talking about large amounts of time here – these animals can become phenotypically or genetically unique.”
An animal’s phenotypic characteristics are things we can observe. Before the introduction of molecular research, and later genetics, biologists were limited to what they could observe.
Two of Martin’s mentors, Joseph Cook and Stephen MacDonald, have been working on endemics for twenty years. In fact, they literally wrote the book for this part of the world. They co-authored Recent Mammals of Alaska, and Mammals and Amphibians of Southeast Alaska. Cook began his work at the Museum of the North in Fairbanks, but has since moved to the Museum of Southwestern Biology at the University of New Mexico.
Jon Martin is coordinating their fieldwork. He’s got a freezer full of furbearer animals like marten, black bear, even a couple of coyotes from Hoonah. The carcasses were contributed by trappers, Fish & Game, the Forest Service, and the Troopers. He’s rounding up the old coolers to ship these specimens to New Mexico.
With advances in genetic research, the study of endemics has gained momentum.
“It’s well known that endemic species tend to be the species that are subject to extinction – in particular, island species. If we look at birds as a good example, worldwide those have been the species of animals that have been very sensitive to extinction. And part of it has to do with their limited habitat. We’re talking about small islands where a unique population can occur. Small shifts in climate, natural disasters, and also manmade changes can have a huge effect on those populations in a short amount of time.”
The animals collected for the study are fully documented, and the data and DNA specimens are permanently cataloged in the Museum of Southwestern Biology. Martin says this project has benefitted enormously by “opportunistic sampling,” the contributions of hunters and trappers who range over the entire region, covering far more ground than even the most well-funded scientist.
Martin says his biggest “aha” moment in the project so far is watching biology students at Sitka High School collect meaningful data on local animals – data that is being added to the inventory for researchers yet to come. It may even be one of them. Just a few years ago, Professor Jon Martin was one of those Sitka High Biology students.
“I think that’s one of the great things about living in Alaska. A lot of kids in this town really have a very strong connection to the natural world. We’re surrounded by it every day. We think about it. Kids have parents that are commercial fishermen. That subsistence lifestyle. It’s something we’re in tune with to a much higher degree than kids that grow up down south. I would say that certainly has been a contributing factor to my direction in life.”
The Island Surveys to Locate Endemic Species is ongoing. Martin says there is literally no end to his need for used coolers. Asked if there was anything his counterparts in New Mexico could send back in the coolers that he could inventory, Martin hardly skips a beat. “Chili peppers.”
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