An awkward introduction: phylogeography of Notropis lutipinnis in its ‘native’ range and the Little Tennessee River

Abstract

– We evaluate the putative introduction of the yellowfin shiner, Notropis lutipinnis, in the Little Tennessee river basin. This species has only been noted in the Little Tennessee in the past several decades and appears to be expanding its range, even though there have been many potential historical pathways for dispersal from native drainages in Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina. We use a phylogeographic approach, examining sequence data from one mitochondrial and one nuclear locus, to determine the likely source of the population in the Little Tennessee. Our results suggest a complex history and cannot reject the possibility that N. lutipinnis is native to the Little Tennessee. Our data also indicate that particular drainages, including populations in the Altamaha and Flint Rivers, may be subject to local adaptation at the nuclear transferrin locus.

Input matching and patch use by native and invasive minnows

“…Our study was motivated by an invasion of long-term study sites in Coweeta Creek, North Carolina, USA, by yellowfin shiner, Notropis lutipinnis (Scott et al 2009;Grossman et al 2010). Our study was motivated by an invasion of long-term study sites in Coweeta Creek, North Carolina, USA, by yellowfin shiner, Notropis lutipinnis (Scott et al 2009;Grossman et al 2010).…”

“…Our study was motivated by an invasion of long-term study sites in Coweeta Creek, North Carolina, USA, by yellowfin shiner, Notropis lutipinnis (Scott et al 2009;Grossman et al 2010). Recent genetic studies indicate that yellowfin shiner may be native to lower portions of the Little Tennessee River drainage (Scott et al 2009); however, it has only recently invaded upper Coweeta Creek. Recent genetic studies indicate that yellowfin shiner may be native to lower portions of the Little Tennessee River drainage (Scott et al 2009); however, it has only recently invaded upper Coweeta Creek.…”

“…In this study, we use the input matching rule to test the relative abilities of two North American minnows (one native, one invasive) to track changes in patch quality as prey abundance increases from low to high natural levels, in a laboratory stream. Our study was motivated by an invasion of long-term study sites in Coweeta Creek, North Carolina, USA, by yellowfin shiner, Notropis lutipinnis (Scott et al 2009;Grossman et al 2010). Coweeta Creek is typical of many relatively undisturbed streams in the southern Appalachian mountains of the United States (Grossman et al 2010), and we have studied ecological relationships of fishes in this system for over 25 years.…”

The Mussel–Fish Relationship: A Potential New Twist in North America?

“…Concentration of DNA was quantified using a Nanodrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer. The mitochondrial cytochrome b gene region was amplified by PCR and sequenced using universal primers Glu-5 and Cb2-3 (Palumbi 1996) following the protocol reported by Scott et al (2009). Sequences were visualized and edited using CodonCode Aligner version 3.7.1.1.…”

“…Genomic DNA was isolated from individual eggs using the Puregene (Gentra Systems) protocol reported by Scott et al (2009). Concentration of DNA was quantified using a Nanodrop ND-1000 spectrophotometer.…”