Acquired predator recognition via epidermal alarm cues but not dietary alarm cues by isolated pupfish.

We tested whether Shoshone pupfish and Amargosa River pupfish respond behaviourally to conspecific chemical alarm cues released when epidermal tissue is damaged by a predator. We found that both subspecies reduced activity and vertical position in the water column in response to alarm cues. We then tested if pupfish can use alarm cue to acquire recognition of a novel predator.

Ignorance is not bliss: evolutionary naiveté in an endangered desert fish and implications for conservation.

Predator naiveté has been invoked to explain the impacts of non-native predators on isolated populations that evolved with limited predation. Such impacts have been repeatedly observed for the endangered Pahrump poolfish, , a desert fish species that evolved in isolation since the end of the Pleistocene. We tested Pahrump poolfish anti-predator responses to conspecific chemical alarm cues released from damaged epidermal tissue in terms of fish activity and water column position.

Epidermal Club Cells in Fishes: A Case for Ecoimmunological Analysis.

Epidermal club cells (ECCs), along with mucus cells, are present in the skin of many fishes, particularly in the well-studied Ostariophysan family Cyprinidae. Most ECC-associated literature has focused on the potential role of ECCs as a component of chemical alarm cues released passively when a predator damages the skin of its prey, alerting nearby prey to the presence of an active predator. Because this warning system is maintained by receiver-side selection (senders are eaten), there is want of a mechanism to confer fitness benefits to the individual that invests in ECCs to explain their evolutionary origin and maintenance in this speciose group of fishes.

Landscape genetics reveal broad and fine-scale population structure due to landscape features and climate history in the northern leopard frog () in North Dakota.

Prehistoric climate and landscape features play large roles structuring wildlife populations. The amphibians of the northern Great Plains of North America present an opportunity to investigate how these factors affect colonization, migration, and current population genetic structure. This study used 11 microsatellite loci to genotype 1,230 northern leopard frogs () from 41 wetlands (30 samples/wetland) across North Dakota.

Complete mitochondrion genome of the endangered Mohave tui chub (Cypriniformes: Cyprinidae).

The Mohave tui chub () is an endangered cyprinid fish endemic to the Mojave Desert region of southeastern California, USA. Here, we describe the complete 16,607 base pair (bp) mitochondrial genome of . The mitogenome has a nucleotide base composition of A (29.

Characterization and phylogenetic analysis of complete mitochondrial genomes for two desert cyprinodontoid fishes, Empetrichthys latos and Crenichthys baileyi.

The Pahrump poolfish (Empetrichthys latos) and White River springfish (Crenichthys baileyi) are small-bodied teleost fishes (order Cyprinodontiformes) endemic to the arid Great Basin and Mojave Desert regions of western North America. These taxa survive as small, isolated populations in remote streams and springs and evolved to tolerate extreme conditions of high temperature and low dissolved oxygen. Both species have experienced severe population declines over the last 50-60years that led to some subspecies being categorized with protected status under the U.

Evaluating an icon of population persistence: the Devil's Hole pupfish.

The Devil's Hole pupfish Cyprinodon diabolis has iconic status among conservation biologists because it is one of the World's most vulnerable species. Furthermore, C. diabolis is the most widely cited example of a persistent, small, isolated vertebrate population; a chronic exception to the rule that small populations do not persist long in isolation.

Contemporary evolutionary divergence for a protected species following assisted colonization.

Background: Contemporary evolution following assisted colonization may increase the probability of persistence for refuge populations established as a bet-hedge for protected species. Such refuge populations are considered "genetic replicates" that might be used for future re-colonization in the event of a catastrophe in the native site. Although maladaptive evolutionary divergence of captive populations is well recognized, evolutionary divergence of wild refuge populations may also occur on contemporary time scales.

Parasites and salinity: costly tradeoffs in a threatened species.

Parasites and environmental conditions can have direct and indirect effects on individuals. We explore the relationship between salinity and parasites in an endemic New Mexico State threatened fish, the White Sands pupfish (Cyprinodon tularosa). Spatial variation in salinity limits the distribution of the endemic springsnail (Juturnia tularosae) within Salt Creek, a small desert stream.

PHOSPHOGLUCONATE DEHYDROGENASE POLYMORPHISM AND SALINITY IN THE WHITE SANDS PUPFISH.

The phosphogluconate dehydrogenase (Pgdh) locus is the only polymorphic allozyme locus observed among 37 loci examined in all four populations of a New Mexico state Endangered species, the White Sands pupfish (Cyprinodon tularosa). We report evidence suggesting that this polymorphism may be associated with salinity. Salinity levels vary widely within and between habitats occupied by White Sands pupfish.