4 research outputs found
Competitive Behaviour, Impact and Success of Invasive Tilapia (Oreochromis spp.) in Quintana Roo, Mexico
Community structure of indigenous fishes relative to habitat variation and invasive tilapia and in lakes of Quintana Roo, Mexico
Data from Blackwell et al. - Newly discovered tilapia cichlid fish biodiversity threatened by hybridization with non-native species
Morphological and genetic data from Oreochromis cichlid fishes from Tanzani
Newly discovered cichlid fish biodiversity threatened by hybridization with non-native species - Data supporting published version
Invasive freshwater fish systems are known to readily hybridize with indigenous congeneric species, driving loss of unique and irreplaceable genetic resources. Here we reveal that newly discovered (2013-2016) evolutionarily significant populations of Korogwe tilapia (Oreochromis korogwe) from southern Tanzania are threatened by hybridization with the larger invasive Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus). We use a combination of morphology, microsatellite allele frequencies and whole genome sequences to show that O. korogwe from southern lakes (Nambawala, Rutamba and Mitupa) are distinct from geographically-disjunct populations in northern Tanzania (Zigi River and Mlingano Dam). We also provide genetic evidence of O. korogwe x niloticus hybrids in three southern lakes and demonstrate heterogeneity in the extent of admixture across the genome. Finally, using the least admixed genomic regions we estimate that the northern and southern O. korogwe populations most plausibly diverged approximately 140,000 years ago, suggesting that the geographical separation of the northern and southern groups is not a result of a recent translocation, and instead these populations represent independent evolutionarily significant units. We conclude that these newly-discovered and phenotypically unique cichlid populations are already threatened by hybridization with an invasive species, and propose that these irreplaceable genetic resources would benefit from conservation interventions.,Full methods are contained within the methods section and supporting text of: Blackwell et al. Newly discovered cichlid fish biodiversity threatened by hybridization with non-native species.,The data support the Blackwell et al. Newly discovered cichlid fish biodiversity threatened by hybridization with non-native species. A README file contains details of the file content.