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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Genetic Population Structure And Effective Number Of Breeders In Systems Across The Range Of The Gulf Sturgeon, Jacob Zona
Master's Theses
Gulf sturgeon (Acipenser oxyicnhus desotoi) are a large, anadromous fish belonging to an ancient lineage that diverged as early as 400 MYA. Overfishing for meat and caviar during the early 1900’s reduced their range and abundance and continued habitat destruction and mortality have limited their ability to recover, leading to their listing under the Endangered Species Act. This study uses genetic techniques to determine the effective number of breeders for multiple spawning groups of Gulf sturgeon in river systems across their range to set a baseline for tracking reproductive success of the species. Accompanying genetic information relevant to …
A Genomic Investigation Of Divergence Between Tuna Species, Pavel V. Dimens
A Genomic Investigation Of Divergence Between Tuna Species, Pavel V. Dimens
Dissertations
Effective management and conservation of marine pelagic fishes is heavily dependent on a robust understanding of their population structure, their evolutionary history, and the delineation of appropriate management units. The Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares) and the Blackfin tuna (Thunnus atlanticus) are two exploited epipelagic marine species with overlapping ranges in the tropical and sub-tropical Atlantic Ocean. This work analyzed genome-wide genetic variation of both species in the Atlantic basin to investigate the occurrence of population subdivision and adaptive variation. A de novo assembly of the Blackfin tuna genome was generated using Illumina paired-end sequencing data and …
Assessing The Occurrence Of Trichechus Manatus Latirostris In Mobile Bay, Alabama Using Edna, Elora Pierce
Assessing The Occurrence Of Trichechus Manatus Latirostris In Mobile Bay, Alabama Using Edna, Elora Pierce
Honors Theses
In the past several decades Florida manatees (Trichechus manatus latirostris) have begun to expand their summer range into the northern Gulf of Mexico. Because this is a recent occurrence, not much is known about their habitat use and distribution in this region. Citizen-sourced sighting data suggests that Florida manatees frequent subembayments of Mobile Bay, Alabama, reaching a sighting peak in August. To assess the occurrence of manatees in this area environmental DNA surveys were used from winter (February 19-20) and summer (August 21-22) of 2018. At each of the 21 sites ranging from the mouth of Mobile Bay, …
Development And Use Of An Environmental Dna Tool To Monitor Recovery Of The Critically Endangered Smalltooth Sawfish, Pristis Pectinata, In The Northwest Atlantic, Ryan N. Lehman
Master's Theses
The Critically Endangered Smalltooth Sawfish, Pristis pectinata, was once common in the tropical and subtropical waters of the Atlantic Ocean; however, following global declines in range and abundance over the past century, individuals were restricted to the waters of south and southwest Florida (SWFL) by about the 1980’s. Recently, public encounter reports have emerged in historically occupied habitats in United States waters, suggesting individuals are present in, or re-occupying, these areas, although the status of P. pectinata outside of SWFL is not currently well understood. Targeted environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys were chosen to assess the occurrence of P …
Sibship Reconstruction For Inferring The Number Of Breeders Of Gulf Sturgeon In The Apalachicola River, Robbilyn Verges
Sibship Reconstruction For Inferring The Number Of Breeders Of Gulf Sturgeon In The Apalachicola River, Robbilyn Verges
Honors Theses
The Gulf sturgeon is an anadromous fish that inhabits the Gulf of Mexico and its neighboring river drainages. The species is currently listed as threatened due to habitat alterations and overfishing. In this study, we focused on the Apalachicola River in Florida, which has had several historic spawning locations of the sturgeon blocked by the Jim Woodruff Lock and Dam. Age-1 juvenile sturgeon from the year 2013 (n=31) and 2014 (n=131) were genotyped using fourteen microsatellite loci. Sibship reconstruction and parentage assignment was performed in order to determine the effective number of breeders (Nb) and the total number of spawning …
Genetic Estimates Of The Number Of Breeding Adults In Alligator Gar From The Choke Canyon Reservoir, Texas, E. Blayne Newsome
Genetic Estimates Of The Number Of Breeding Adults In Alligator Gar From The Choke Canyon Reservoir, Texas, E. Blayne Newsome
Honors Theses
Alligator gar were historically found across the coastal drainages of the Gulf of Mexico and up into the Mississippi River basin. However, their populations are experiencing decline in many portions of their range. Texas seems to have large populations of alligator gar, but state resource officers are seeking to better understand its biology so as to provide appropriate management recommendations to maintain the recreational fishery. In this study, I used genetic techniques to examine a cohort of 144 juvenile alligator gar collected in 2016 in the Choke Canyon Reservoir. By estimating the effective number of breeders and number of spawning …