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Phylogeographic Analyses Of Obligate And Facultative Cave Crayfish Species On The Cumberland Plateau Of The Southern Appalachians, Jennifer Elizabeth Buhay
Phylogeographic Analyses Of Obligate And Facultative Cave Crayfish Species On The Cumberland Plateau Of The Southern Appalachians, Jennifer Elizabeth Buhay
Theses and Dissertations
Cave systems and their unique biota are widely viewed as highly endangered, yet very little is known about basic life history, ecology, distributions, habitat requirements, and evolutionary relationships of subterranean species. The crux of the problem in cave studies is the assumption that traditionally defined morpho-species represent distinct evolutionary lineages. Convergence is exhibited in the morphologies of many animal groups, vertebrate and invertebrate, which leads to confusion in diagnosing species' boundaries, geographic distributions, gene flow routes, and imperilment. This dissertation research includes phylogeographic analyses of freshwater cave-dwelling crayfishes in the Southern Appalachians, a global hotspot of subterranean biodiversity. By examining …
Invasion Genetics Of The Blue Catfish (Ictalurus Furcatus) Range Expansion Into Large River Ecosystems Of The Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Colleen Beth Higgins
Invasion Genetics Of The Blue Catfish (Ictalurus Furcatus) Range Expansion Into Large River Ecosystems Of The Chesapeake Bay Watershed, Colleen Beth Higgins
Theses and Dissertations
The blue catfish, Ictalurus furcatus (Ictaluridae), is ranked among the most invasive, nonnative species of concern in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. This species, intentionally introduced to three major tributaries and a number of impoundments between 1974 and 1989 for sport fishing, has spread into three additional tributaries. Using samples from the introduced tributary populations as a baseline, we evaluated microsatellite genetic variation in light of demographic and ecological data to elucidate the potential sources of the invasive I. furcatus populations. In general, the populations surveyed in the Chesapeake Bay watershed were considerably more inbred (F ranged from 0.03 - 0.27) …