The Leon Springs pupfish (Cyprinodon bovinus) is an endangered species currently restricted to a single desert spring and a separate captive habitat in southwestern North America. Following establishment of the captive population from wild stock in 1976, the wild population has undergone natural population size fluctuations, intentional culling to purge genetic contamination from an invasive congener (Cyprinodon variegatus) and augmentation/replacement of wild fish from the captive stock. A severe population decline following the most recent introduction of captive fish prompted us to examine whether the captive and wild populations have differentiated during the short time they have been isolated from one another. If so, the development of divergent genetic and/or morphologic traits between populations could contribute to a diminished ability of fish from one location to thrive in the other. Examination of genomewide single nucleotide polymorphisms and morphologic variation revealed no evidence of residual C. variegatus characteristics in contemporary C. bovinus samples. However, significant genetic and morphologic differentiation was detected between the wild and captive populations, some of which might reflect local adaptation. Our results indicate that genetic and physical characteristics can diverge rapidly between isolated subdivisions of managed populations, potentially compromising the value of captive stock for future supplementation efforts. In the case of C. bovinus, our findings underscore the need to periodically inoculate the captive population with wild genetic material to help mitigate genetic, and potentially morphologic, divergence between them and also highlight the utility of parallel morphologic and genomic evaluation to inform conservation management planning.
Choosing an optimal strategy to sustain imperilled wild populations is challenging, and many methods may be implemented before reaching an effective strategy. A review of previous conservation efforts used to maintain an endangered desert pupfish (Cyprinidon bovinus) are presented here. Conservation strategies for C. bovinus have included removal of fish hybridizing with a non‐native species, reintroduction of captive‐bred C. bovinus into their historic range, and habitat restoration and expansion. In general, these methods have successfully increased the C. bovinus population over a 15‐year period, with habitat expansion appearing to be the most critical intervention method. Habitat restorations that increased the available breeding habitat for C. bovinus and the total number of breeding males were also associated with a downward trend in individual male reproductive behaviour. Since habitat expansion resulted in unexpected consequences for reproductive ecology, it emphasizes the importance not only of monitoring species abundance but also of evaluating individual reproductive behaviour when implementing conservation strategies. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Arctic freshwater ecosystems have been profoundly affected by climate change. Given that the Arctic charr ( Salvelinus alpinus ) is often the only fish species inhabiting these ecosystems, it represents a valuable model for studying the impacts of climate change on species life‐history diversity and adaptability. Using a genotyping‐by‐sequencing approach, we identified 5,976 neutral single nucleotide polymorphisms and found evidence for reduced gene flow between allopatric morphs from two high Arctic lakes, Linne'vatn ( Anadromous, Normal , and Dwarf ) and Ellasjøen ( Littoral and Pelagic ). Within each lake, the degree of genetic differentiation ranged from low ( Pelagic vs. Littoral ) to moderate ( Anadromous and Normal vs. Dwarf ). We identified 17 highly diagnostic, putatively adaptive SNPs that differentiated the allopatric morphs. Although we found no evidence for adaptive differences between morphs within Ellasjøen, we found evidence for moderate ( Anadromous vs. Normal ) to high genetic differentiation ( Anadromous and Normal vs. Dwarf ) among morphs within Linne'vatn based on two adaptive loci. As these freshwater ecosystems become more productive, the frequency of sympatric morphs in Ellasjøen will likely shift based on foraging opportunities, whereas the propensity to migrate may decrease in Linne'vatn, increasing the frequency of the Normal morph. The Dwarf charr was the most genetically distinct group. Identifying the biological basis for small body size should elucidate the potential for increased growth and subsequent interbreeding with sympatric morphs. Overall, neutral and adaptive genomic differentiation between allopatric and some sympatric morphs suggests that the response of Arctic charr to climate change will be variable across freshwater ecosystems.
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