2014 Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the business meeting of the 40th Annual meeting of the Southeastern Fishes Council held in Asheville, NC, 12-14 November 2014

Population genetics of seaside Sparrow (Ammodramus maritimus) subspecies along the gulf of Mexico.

Seaside Sparrows (Ammodramus maritimus) along the Gulf of Mexico are currently recognized as four subspecies, including taxa in Florida (A. m. juncicola and A. m. peninsulae) and southern Texas (Ammodramus m. sennetti), plus a widespread taxon between them (A. m. fisheri). We examined population genetic structure of this Gulf Coast clade using microsatellite and mtDNA data. Results of Bayesian analyses (Structure, GeneLand) of microsatellite data from nine locations do not entirely align with current subspecific taxonomy. Ammodramus m. sennetti from southern Texas is significantly differentiated from all other populations, but we found evidence of an admixture zone with A. m. fisheri near Corpus Christi. The two subspecies along the northern Gulf Coast of Florida are significantly differentiated from both A. m. sennetti and A. m. fisheri, but are not distinct from each other. We found a weak signal of isolation by distance within A. m. fisheri, indicating this population is not entirely panmictic throughout its range. Although continued conservation concern is warranted for all populations along the Gulf Coast, A. m. fisheri appears to be more secure than the far smaller populations in south Texas and the northern Florida Gulf Coast. In particular, the most genetically distinct populations, those in Texas south of Corpus Christi, occupy unique habitats within a very small geographic range

Are Spotted Bass (\u3ci\u3eMicropterus punctulatus\u3c/i\u3e) Attracted to Schreckstoff? A Test of the Predator Attraction Hypothesis

The predator attraction (PA) hypothesis proposes that chemicals released from the skin (Schreckstoff) of an injured fish during a predation event attract nearby piscivorous fishes, which then compete for the prey. The confusion of this additional competition may allow the injured fish to escape. This is an alternate hypothesis to kin selection for the evolution of fish alarm systems, particularly in the superorder Ostariophysi. Schreckstoff is found in the skin of ostariophysans and some unrelated taxa, whereas muscle is not known to possess any unique pheromones. I tested the PA hypothesis using a natural assemblage of southeastern fishes. Micropterus punctulatus (Spotted Bass) were exposed to skin (Schreckstoff) and muscle (non-Schreckstoff) extracts from five co-occurring prey species, Cyprinella venusta (Blacktail Shiner), Pimephales vigilax (Bullhead Minnow), Gambusia affinis (Western Mosquitofish), Fundulus olivaceus (Blackspotted Topminnow), and Lepomis macrochirus (Bluegill). Micropterus punctulatus did not increase foraging behavior after exposure to skin extract from any of the five potential prey species; however, there was an increase in foraging behavior after exposure to muscle extract from C. venusta. The PA hypothesis was not supported by this study, and other influences on the evolution of this system are proposed

2013 Meeting Minutes

Minutes from the business meeting of the 39th Annual meeting of the Southeastern Fishes Council held in Guntersville, Alabama, 13-15 November, 2013

Population Genetics of Seaside Sparrow (<i>Ammodramus maritimus</i>) Subspecies along the Gulf of Mexico

<div><p>Seaside Sparrows (<i>Ammodramus maritimus</i>) along the Gulf of Mexico are currently recognized as four subspecies, including taxa in Florida (<i>A. m. juncicola</i> and <i>A. m. peninsulae</i>) and southern Texas (<i>Ammodramus m. sennetti</i>), plus a widespread taxon between them (<i>A. m. fisheri</i>). We examined population genetic structure of this “Gulf Coast” clade using microsatellite and mtDNA data. Results of Bayesian analyses (Structure, GeneLand) of microsatellite data from nine locations do not entirely align with current subspecific taxonomy. <i>Ammodramus m. sennetti</i> from southern Texas is significantly differentiated from all other populations, but we found evidence of an admixture zone with <i>A. m. fisheri</i> near Corpus Christi. The two subspecies along the northern Gulf Coast of Florida are significantly differentiated from both <i>A. m. sennetti</i> and <i>A. m. fisheri</i>, but are not distinct from each other. We found a weak signal of isolation by distance within <i>A. m. fisheri</i>, indicating this population is not entirely panmictic throughout its range. Although continued conservation concern is warranted for all populations along the Gulf Coast, <i>A. m. fisheri</i> appears to be more secure than the far smaller populations in south Texas and the northern Florida Gulf Coast. In particular, the most genetically distinct populations, those in Texas south of Corpus Christi, occupy unique habitats within a very small geographic range.</p></div

Graphical output of GeneLand (map) and Structure (inset) analyses for best <i>K</i> = 3 along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

<p>Numbers below Structure output correspond to the nine sampled populations of Seaside Sparrow (see <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0112739#pone-0112739-g001" target="_blank">Fig. 1</a>). GeneLand output has been cropped to remove much of the area (Gulf of Mexico) not occupied by Seaside Sparrows. Note that no birds were sampled from the western Florida panhandle, and no population assignment for birds in this area is possible based on our data. Axes (latitude and longitude) are only relevant to GeneLand output.</p

Detailed map of southern Texas showing (1) sampling locations for sites 1–3, (2) bays around Corpus Christi relevant to our discussion of <i>Ammodramus maritimus</i> cf. <i>sennetti</i>, and (3) estimation of scaled effective genetic population sizes (θ) and directional migration rates (±95% CIs) estimated with the program migrate-n.

<p>Detailed map of southern Texas showing (1) sampling locations for sites 1–3, (2) bays around Corpus Christi relevant to our discussion of <i>Ammodramus maritimus</i> cf. <i>sennetti</i>, and (3) estimation of scaled effective genetic population sizes (θ) and directional migration rates (±95% CIs) estimated with the program migrate-n.</p

Pairwise <i>F</i>_ST (above diagonal) and <i>D</i>_est (Jost‘s [42]; below diagonal) based on microsatellite data for nine population samples of Seaside Sparrow along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.

<p><i>F</i>_ST values in parentheses are not statistically different from zero (<i>P</i>>0.001). Negative values of <i>D</i>_est are reported as zero. See <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0112739#pone-0112739-g001" target="_blank">Fig. 1</a> for sampling locations.</p><p>Pairwise <i>F</i>_ST (above diagonal) and <i>D</i>_est (Jost‘s <a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0112739#pone.0112739-Jost1" target="_blank">[42]</a>; below diagonal) based on microsatellite data for nine population samples of Seaside Sparrow along the coast of the Gulf of Mexico.</p