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Use of genetic data in a species status assessment of the Sicklefin Redhorse (Moxostoma sp.)

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Abstract

Under the United States Endangered Species Act, a species is granted protection if it is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range. Since 2016, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service has adopted a more analytical approach to determining significant portion of its range. Termed Species Status Assessment (SSA), this approach addresses whether loss of individuals from a portion of its range will influence at least one of the conservation biology principles of redundancy (ability to withstand catastrophic events), resiliency (ability to withstand stochastic events), and representation (ability to adapt over time to long-term changes in the environment). Using Sicklefin Redhorse (Moxostoma sp.), we illustrate the use of genetic data to evaluate each SSA metric. We sampled (n = 382) Sicklefin Redhorse from three major river basins throughout its contemporary distribution and estimated genetic parameters using ten microsatellite markers. Using STRUCTURE analyses, we showed that redundancy was three, but our approximate Bayesian computation analysis revealed that this value could be reduced to two if admixture, due to anthropogenic stressors of the 1900s, continues. We used estimates of effective population size (Ne) to measure resiliency and representation and found that all populations showed resiliency and representation with Ne ≥ 479. Genetic monitoring of the Little Tennessee and Tuckasegee populations will be necessary to assess the future status of redundancy for this species. Any reduction in redundancy would warrant further ESA evaluation.

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Acknowledgements

Field assistance was provided by Robert Jenkins, John Fridell, Steve Fraley, T.R. Russ, Tiffany Penland, David Yow, Powell Wheeler, Amanda Bushon, Angie Rodgers, Dustin Rodgers, David Huffstettler, Crystal Ruble, Missy Petty, Rebecca Xiques, Pat Rakes, Dallas Bradley, Mike Lavoie, Blue Welch, Scott Favrot, Hannah Shively, Calvin Yonce, Jason Mays, Jimmy Jenkins, Tomas Ivaskukas, Bob Butler, Dan Everson, Byron Hamstead, Jan Gay, Jenny Sanders, and Kyle Stowe. Robert E. Jenkins deserves the utmost credit for recognizing this distinct fish, and tirelessly imparting an understanding of its distribution and life history to the next generation of scientists. Funding for this project was provided by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Any use of trade, product, or firm names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The findings and conclusions in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Author notes

  1. Gregory R. Moyer

    Present address: Department of Biology, Mansfield University, Mansfield, PA, USA

  2. Sandra Bohn

    Present address: Hatfield Marine Science Center, Oregon State University, Newport, OR, USA

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conservation Genetic Laboratory, Fish Technology Center, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Warm Springs, GA, USA

    Gregory R. Moyer & Ashantye S. Williams

  2. Department of Fisheries and Allied Aquacultures, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA

    Sandra Bohn

  3. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Panama City, FL, USA

    Mark Cantrell

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  1. Gregory R. Moyer
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Correspondence to Gregory R. Moyer.

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Moyer, G.R., Bohn, S., Cantrell, M. et al. Use of genetic data in a species status assessment of the Sicklefin Redhorse (Moxostoma sp.). Conserv Genet 20, 1175–1185 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-019-01202-3

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