4 research outputs found
PosterMGS.pdf
No full text<p>Neotropical freshwater systems are extraordinarily diverse,
yet little is known about the small scale evolutionary processes that shape and
maintain this diversity. A large portion of these ecosystems is currently in
peril due to the presence of invasive species, fishing exploitation, climate
change impacts, and habitat loss related to river impoundments, deforestation,
and mining. The Xingu River, a tributary of the Amazon River, is undergoing
major changes with the construction of the Belo Monte hydroelectric megadam. This
study focuses on <i>Hypancistrus </i>sp., an
undescribed armored catfish species endemic to the lower and middle Xingu River
that presents remarkable color variation and is abundant across its
distribution. These fishes are highly sought after in the aquarium trade,
however scientific studies investigating their ecology, taxonomy, and evolution
are still lacking. We will use population genetics, phylogeography, and
landscape genetics approaches to investigate the genetic diversity and
structure of <i>H</i>. sp.. We obtained 133
tissue samples from 20 sampling sites covering the entire species distribution,
and will construct ddRAD libraries to generate genomic SNP data. We will
investigate three non-exclusive hypotheses: 1) existence of a general pattern
of downstream increase in genetic diversity; 2) waterfalls act as barriers to
gene flow; 3) environmental variables associated with rapids habitat (e.g.
water velocity and substrate) are important selective agents for this species.
Our results will be invaluable to monitor the impacts of the Belo Monte dam and
to better understand diversification processes in the Neotropical freshwaters.</p
