Emigration of hatchery‐reared Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes and Richardson), through a Missouri River dam

The middle Missouri River (MMR; Fort Randall Dam, SD to Gavins Point Dam, NE‐SD) is stocked with hatchery‐reared pallid sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes and Richardson), from upper Missouri River broodstock to aid recovery of this federally endangered species. Emigration of these fish through Gavins Point Dam restores genetic connectivity that likely existed pre‐impoundment but could lead to outbreeding depression in the future. Recapture data of hatchery‐reared pallid sturgeon stocked in the MMR were evaluated to improve understanding of pallid sturgeon emigration. From 2004 to 2015, 219 emigrants were caught: 4 stocked at age ≥2 years and 215 stocked at age ≤1 year. Emigration of the 2001‐2007 year classes stocked at age 1 was a consistent phenomenon and appeared higher than emigration of year classes stocked at ages 2–3. Little evidence suggested emigration was associated with an unusually high‐water event in 2011. The annual emigration probability of individuals stocked at age 1 estimated from multi‐state mark–recapture models was 0.05 [95% confidence interval = 0.04–0.06] for fish ages ≥1 year. This study suggests that alterations to stocking practices (e.g. stocking age) may affect emigration rates and, therefore, connectivity among pallid sturgeon populations

Conservation Biogeography of Lotic Fishes in the Missouri and Colorado River Basins

To improve our understanding of lotic fish ecology and improve conservation efforts, I 1) identified potentially ecologically important tributaries (PEITs) and evaluated their effects on fish assemble structure, 2) evaluated factors affecting spatial transferability of species distribution models (SDMs), and 3) evaluated the drivers of non-native fish establishment in the Missouri and Colorado River basins (MRB and CRB). The effects of PEIT likely vary among rivers as all Missouri River PEITs affected fish assemblage structure, but only half of upper Colorado River basin PEITs affected fish assemblage structure. Species distribution models transferred from the MRB to the CRB for 15 of 25 species, but transferability was not predictable based on species characteristics, re-enforcing the hypothesis that transferability is species- and context-specific. Support for Human Activity, Biotic Resistance and Biotic Acceptance hypotheses as the drivers of non-native fish establishment varied by family, but these hypotheses rarely explained significant variability in the probability of non-native Salmonidae, Catostomidae, and Cyprinidae occurrence. These results may suggest that other factors (e.g., natural factors) drive non-native species distributions at the spatial (i.e., grain=stream segment; extents=physiographic divisions, and MRB and CRB combined) and taxonomic (i.e., family) scales considered in this study. This study aids conservations efforts by providing an efficient approach for identifying ecologically important tributaries and improving predictions of non-native species establishment

Emigration of hatchery‐reared Pallid Sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes and Richardson), through a Missouri River dam

The middle Missouri River (MMR; Fort Randall Dam, SD to Gavins Point Dam, NE‐SD) is stocked with hatchery‐reared pallid sturgeon, Scaphirhynchus albus (Forbes and Richardson), from upper Missouri River broodstock to aid recovery of this federally endangered species. Emigration of these fish through Gavins Point Dam restores genetic connectivity that likely existed pre‐impoundment but could lead to outbreeding depression in the future. Recapture data of hatchery‐reared pallid sturgeon stocked in the MMR were evaluated to improve understanding of pallid sturgeon emigration. From 2004 to 2015, 219 emigrants were caught: 4 stocked at age ≥2 years and 215 stocked at age ≤1 year. Emigration of the 2001‐2007 year classes stocked at age 1 was a consistent phenomenon and appeared higher than emigration of year classes stocked at ages 2–3. Little evidence suggested emigration was associated with an unusually high‐water event in 2011. The annual emigration probability of individuals stocked at age 1 estimated from multi‐state mark–recapture models was 0.05 [95% confidence interval = 0.04–0.06] for fish ages ≥1 year. This study suggests that alterations to stocking practices (e.g. stocking age) may affect emigration rates and, therefore, connectivity among pallid sturgeon populations

Return of the lysergamides. Part IV: Analytical and pharmacological characterization of lysergic acid morpholide (LSM‐775)

Lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD) is perhaps one of the best-known psychoactive substances and many structural modifications of this prototypical lysergamide have been investigated. Several lysergamides were recently encountered as 'research chemicals' or new psychoactive substances (NPS). Although lysergic acid morpholide (LSM-775) appeared on the NPS market in 2013, there is disagreement in the literature regarding the potency and psychoactive properties of LSM-775 in humans. The present investigation attempts to address the gap of information that exists regarding the analytical profile and pharmacological effects of LSM-775. A powdered sample of LSM-775 was characterized by X-ray crystallography, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR), gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS), high mass accuracy electrospray MS/MS, high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) diode array detection, HPLC quadrupole MS, and GC solid-state infrared analysis. Screening for receptor affinity and functional efficacy revealed that LSM-775 acts as a nonselective agonist at 5-HT1A and 5-HT2A receptors. Head twitch studies were conducted in C57BL/6J mice to determine whether LSM-775 activates 5-HT2A receptors and produces hallucinogen-like effects in vivo. LSM-775 did not induce the head twitch response unless 5-HT1A receptors were blocked by pretreatment with the antagonist WAY-100,635 (1 mg/kg, subcutaneous). These findings suggest that 5-HT1A activation by LSM-775 masks its ability to induce the head twitch response, which is potentially consistent with reports in the literature indicating that LSM-775 is only capable of producing weak LSD-like effects in humans