TY - JOUR
T1 - Habitat use and population structure of the shoal chub (Macrhybopsis hyostoma) in the upper Mississippi River basin
AU - Gaughan, Sarah
AU - Steffensen, Kirk
AU - Lu, Guoqing
N1 - Funding Information:
Acknowledgements We are grateful to George Cunningham, Jim Lamer at the Kibbe Research Field Station, John West and Dave Herzog with the Missouri Department of Conservation for assistance with specimen collection. Specimen collection and experimentation was approved by the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee under protocol number 14-005-02-EP. This study was supported through funding from the University of Nebraska Omaha Graduate Research and Creative Activity, University of Nebraska Omaha University Committee on Research and Creative Activity, Office of Graduate Studies Rhoden Fellowship and the Department of Biology. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is jointly supported by a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the University of Nebraska−Lincoln, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Management Institute.
Funding Information:
We are grateful to George Cunningham, Jim Lamer at the Kibbe Research Field Station, John West and Dave Herzog with the Missouri Department of Conservation for assistance with specimen collection. Specimen collection and experimentation was approved by the University of Nebraska Omaha’s Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee under protocol number 14-005-02-EP. This study was supported through funding from the University of Nebraska Omaha Graduate Research and Creative Activity, University of Nebraska Omaha University Committee on Research and Creative Activity, Office of Graduate Studies Rhoden Fellowship and the Department of Biology. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. The Nebraska Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit is jointly supported by a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Geological Survey, the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, the University of Nebraska−Lincoln, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the Wildlife Management Institute.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2019, Springer Nature B.V.
PY - 2019/6/15
Y1 - 2019/6/15
N2 - Anthropogenic alterations of river systems may have a profound effect on native fish community and habitat use; however, it’s difficult to understand the extent of these impacts without establishing well-defined habitat preferences. We investigated the Shoal chub, Macrhybopsis hyostoma, a native obligate river species from nine sampling locations in the upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB). Field surveys demonstrated that overall Shoal chubs preferred tributaries, yet this was statistically significant only for gravid females. Diet analysis and comparative morphology suggested that the Shoal chub is insectivorous and prefer benthic habitats. Our analysis of habitat use suggested that juvenile Shoal chubs preferred sand substrate and adults preferred medium to large gravel. Shoal chubs developed more melanophores as they aged, which is a likely an adaptation to their habitat shifts. The field survey identified possible sites where spawning was occurring and may be important for future conservation efforts for the Shoal chub. In addition, we conducted population genomic analysis of Shoal chub samples collected from the streams in three Midwest states (Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska) and found low genetic diversity among the chubs that raises a concern in conservation. This preliminary study provides insights into further investigation of the impact caused by stream habitat alteration on native species and into the conservation of Shoal chubs in the UMRB.
AB - Anthropogenic alterations of river systems may have a profound effect on native fish community and habitat use; however, it’s difficult to understand the extent of these impacts without establishing well-defined habitat preferences. We investigated the Shoal chub, Macrhybopsis hyostoma, a native obligate river species from nine sampling locations in the upper Mississippi River Basin (UMRB). Field surveys demonstrated that overall Shoal chubs preferred tributaries, yet this was statistically significant only for gravid females. Diet analysis and comparative morphology suggested that the Shoal chub is insectivorous and prefer benthic habitats. Our analysis of habitat use suggested that juvenile Shoal chubs preferred sand substrate and adults preferred medium to large gravel. Shoal chubs developed more melanophores as they aged, which is a likely an adaptation to their habitat shifts. The field survey identified possible sites where spawning was occurring and may be important for future conservation efforts for the Shoal chub. In addition, we conducted population genomic analysis of Shoal chub samples collected from the streams in three Midwest states (Illinois, Missouri, and Nebraska) and found low genetic diversity among the chubs that raises a concern in conservation. This preliminary study provides insights into further investigation of the impact caused by stream habitat alteration on native species and into the conservation of Shoal chubs in the UMRB.
KW - Habitat use
KW - Macrhybopsis hyostoma
KW - Population structure
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U2 - 10.1007/s10641-019-00878-3
DO - 10.1007/s10641-019-00878-3
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85064847428
SN - 0378-1909
VL - 102
SP - 901
EP - 914
JO - Environmental Biology of Fishes
JF - Environmental Biology of Fishes
IS - 6
ER -