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Evolutionary history of Ash Meadows pupfish (genus Cyprinodon) populations inferred using microsatellite markers

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Abstract

Pupfish (genus Cyprinodon) persist in a series of isolated warm springs in Death Valley. Here we describe an analysis of microsatellite variation at six loci for nine populations encompassing three distinct taxa. Levels of genetic variation within populations and the pattern of relatedness among populations are best explained by spring elevation. Springs at higher elevations harbored less variation and exhibited greater among population divergence than lower elevation springs. This pattern reflects regional paleohydrological history showing a declining water table over the last 20,000 years. Continuing decline of the water table, a trend accelerated by local ground water mining, portends a future of increasing isolation and declining within-population variation.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, CB 334, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, 80309, USA

    Andrew P. Martin & Jennifer L. Wilcox

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  1. Andrew P. Martin
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  2. Jennifer L. Wilcox
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Martin, A.P., Wilcox, J.L. Evolutionary history of Ash Meadows pupfish (genus Cyprinodon) populations inferred using microsatellite markers. Conservation Genetics 5, 769–782 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-004-1978-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-004-1978-2

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