Abstract
Population genetics-based approaches can provide robust and cost-effective ways to assess the effects of potential barriers, including dams and road-stream crossings, on the passage and population connectivity of aquatic organisms. Determining the best way to apply and modify genetic tools for different species and situations is essential for making these genetics-based approaches broadly applicable to fisheries and aquatic habitat management. Here, we used multiple genetic approaches to assess the movement and population structure of Slimy Sculpin Cottus cognatus at two road-stream crossings in Michigan and one dam in Massachusetts, USA. We captured and genotyped individual sculpin and assessed movement and population connectivity by using (1) a sibship-based approach, where the presence and proportional distribution of siblings on either side of a barrier indicates population connectivity and the possible direction of movement (i.e., presumed movement from higher to lower proportions), and (2) two Bayesian genetic assignment approaches (STRUCTURE and BayesAss) to identify migrants across potential barriers based on individual population assignment probabilities. We also used traditional genetic metrics to assess within-population genetic variation and among-population genetic divergence. At all three locations, we found evidence for sculpin movement across the potential barrier based on sibship reconstruction, but small family sizes limited the ability of this approach to provide robust estimates of the rate and direction of movement. At two sites, a lack of genetic differentiation between above- and below-barrier populations limited the effectiveness of the genetic assignment methods for identifying possible migrants. At the third site, reduced upstream allelic diversity and effective number of breeders resulted in high genetic differentiation (FST) between above- and below-barrier populations, and both sibship and genetic assignment methods provided strong evidence of limited connectivity and bias against upstream movement. Overall, combining approaches and metrics may help overcome the limitations of any one method and maximize the value of datasets for genetics-based monitoring and assessment.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1117-1131 |
| Number of pages | 15 |
| Journal | Transactions of the American Fisheries Society |
| Volume | 148 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 1 2019 |
Funding
Funding to implement and evaluate the Peterson Creek project was provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) through the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Federal Highways Administration. Funding for the implementation of the Arquilla Creek project was provided by the GLRI through the USFS and a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Sustain Our Great Lakes public-private partnership to the Manistee County Planning Department. The USFWS funded the genetic evaluation of the Arquilla Creek structure replacement through a grant to the Manistee County Planning Department. The Manistee County Road Commission provided funds to implement both projects. We also would like to thank Rob Carson, Manistee County Planner, along with Curt Visser, Patrick Laarman, Tom Biggs, Kirsten Sheffield, Jennifer Scholl, Jeremy Geist, Graeme Zaparzynski, Nick Zyskowski, and Kayla Knoll, and numerous seasonal USFS technicians who participated in the electrofishing and tissue sampling for the study. We thank Lora Miller, Zachary Robinson, Matt Devine, Ashleigh Novak, Jay Aylward, Rachel Katz, and Leanda Gagnon-Fontaine for help with sampling in Fall River. The fish that were collected from Fall River were handled in accordance with Protocol 2013-0054 approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Massachusetts. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. There is no conflict of interest declared in this article. Funding to implement and evaluate the Peterson Creek project was provided by the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) through the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) and the Federal Highways Administration. Funding for the implementation of the Arquilla Creek project was provided by the GLRI through the USFS and a grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation's Sustain Our Great Lakes public‐private partnership to the Manistee County Planning Department. The USFWS funded the genetic evaluation of the Arquilla Creek structure replacement through a grant to the Manistee County Planning Department. The Manistee County Road Commission provided funds to implement both projects. We also would like to thank Rob Carson, Manistee County Planner, along with Curt Visser, Patrick Laarman, Tom Biggs, Kirsten Sheffield, Jennifer Scholl, Jeremy Geist, Graeme Zaparzynski, Nick Zyskowski, and Kayla Knoll, and numerous seasonal USFS technicians who participated in the electrofishing and tissue sampling for the study. We thank Lora Miller, Zachary Robinson, Matt Devine, Ashleigh Novak, Jay Aylward, Rachel Katz, and Leanda Gagnon‐Fontaine for help with sampling in Fall River. The fish that were collected from Fall River were handled in accordance with Protocol 2013‐0054 approved by the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee at the University of Massachusetts. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. There is no conflict of interest declared in this article.
| Funders |
|---|
| U.S. Forest Service-Retired |
| University of Massachusetts Boston |