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A Comparative Ecological Study Of Two Sister Species Of Darters In Kentucky, Etheostoma Kantuckeense And Etheostoma Lawrencei, Bjorn Victor Schmidt
A Comparative Ecological Study Of Two Sister Species Of Darters In Kentucky, Etheostoma Kantuckeense And Etheostoma Lawrencei, Bjorn Victor Schmidt
Masters Theses & Specialist Projects
Etheostoma kantuckeense and E. lawrencei are former members of the wide ranging E. spectabile species complex. Etheostoma kantuckeense is endemic to the Barren River Basin in Southern Kentucky and Northern Tennessee, while E. lawrencei occurs in the Green River, Salt River, and Cumberland River Basins of Central and Eastern Kentucky. Isolation of populations within these drainages has allowed for a relatively recent evolutionary divergence, leading to slight differences in morphology. This study was conducted to address if geographical isolation has led to measurable differences in the ecology of these two species. In particular, habitat preference across three spatial scales and …