Phenotypic homogenization and potential fitness constraints following non-native introgression in an endemic sportfish

Introgressive hybridization may lead to contrasting evolutionary outcomes that are difficult to predict, since they depend on the fitness effects of endogenous genomic interactions and environmental factors. Conservation of endemic biodiversity may be more effective with direct measurement of introgressed ancestry and fitness in wild populations, especially for keystone taxa at risk of hybridization following species introductions. We assessed the relationship of non-native ancestry with growth and body condition in the basin-restricted Neosho Bass (Micropterus velox; NB), focusing on two streams in the NB native range that are admixed extensively with non-native Smallmouth Bass (M. dolomieu; SMB). We quantified genetic composition of 116 fish from Big Sugar Creek (N=46) and Elk River (N=70) at 14 microsatellite loci. Using back-calculated total length-at-age estimated from sagittal otoliths, we assessed whether genetic ancestry explained variation in von Bertalanffy growth model parameters, accounting for sex and stream effects. We then assessed the relationship of ancestry and body condition. We found no differences in growth parameters by sex, stream, or ancestry, suggesting phenotypic homogenization which could be mediated by selection on body size. We found a negative correlation between SMB ancestry and condition, including lower condition in Big Sugar Creek, possibly reflecting a trade-off between maximum length and condition with respect to overall fitness. We show that ongoing non-native introgression, which may be augmented by anthropogenic SMB introductions, may attenuate evolutionary differentiation between species and directly influence fitness, possibly having critical implications for long-term persistence and management of adaptive potential in a popular and ecologically important endemic sportfish.

Methods
Fish were collected by hook-and-line angling. Tissue samples (~25mg) for genetic analysis were removed from the upper caudal fin and stored in 95% ethanol until processing. All phenotypic measurements were obtained as described in the final publication.