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Population genetic study of the U.S. federally listed Illinois cave amphipod, Gammarus acherondytes

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Abstract

Worldwide, conservation personnel must balance the needs of endangered species and humans. Studies that provide information of a species’ genetic structure can identify conservation units and help prioritize populations. We used a region of the cytochrome c oxidase subunit I gene to examine the population genetics of the U.S. federally listed Illinois cave amphipod, Gammarus acherondytes. Eleven unique haplotypes were identified from nine populations in two hydrologically separate subregions, each of which contained genetically distinct populations. This conclusion is based on (i) subregions form clades in the interspecific phylogeographic analyses; (ii) the between-subregions component in the Analysis of Molecular Variance accounted for a significant fraction (81.45%) of the genetic variation; and (iii) no haplotypes were shared between subregions. These results coincide with the known distribution of G. acherondytes and regional hydrology. We recommend future recovery efforts avoid mixing individuals between subregions to prevent the breakdown of local adaptive gene complexes.

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Acknowledgments

We thank the many landowners who granted us access to collection sites. Philip Moss, Steve Taylor, and Jack White assisted in the field and provided access to caves. Jerry Lewis allowed the senior author to accompany him into several caves to collect G. acherondytes tissue and provided stimulating discussions and information on amphipods of the SPR. Ed Heist provided access to the ABI 377 automated DNA sequencer and Alonso Córdoba and Aaron Schrey assisted in the laboratory. Jonathan Witt and David Carlini kindly shared the G. pseudolimnaeus and G.minus (West Virginia) sequences, respectively. This research was supported with funding from the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the Cave Conservancy Foundation, the National Science Foundation (DEB-0235794 to FEA), and the Zoology Department of Southern Illinois University. We also acknowledge the assistance and cooperation of the Illinois Speological Society, the Karst Conservancy of Illinois, the Illinois Nature Preserve Commission, the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the Illinois Natural History Survey, and the United States Fish and Wildlife Service.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alabama, Aquatic Biology Program, A122 Bevill Building, 201 Seventh Ave, Box 870206, Tuscaloosa, AL, 34587, USA

    M. P. Venarsky

  2. Department of Zoology and Center for Ecology, Southern Illinois University, 1125 Lincoln Drive, Carbondale, IL, 62901-6501, USA

    M. P. Venarsky & F. E. Anderson

  3. Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources, University of Idaho, PO Box 441136, 795 W. 6th Street, Moscow, ID, 83844-1136, USA

    F. M. Wilhelm

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  1. M. P. Venarsky
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  2. F. E. Anderson
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  3. F. M. Wilhelm
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Correspondence to M. P. Venarsky.

Appendix

Appendix

Table 1 Taxa with Genbank accession numbers used in the genetic analyses
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Venarsky, M.P., Anderson, F.E. & Wilhelm, F.M. Population genetic study of the U.S. federally listed Illinois cave amphipod, Gammarus acherondytes . Conserv Genet 10, 915–921 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-008-9579-0

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