Still time for action: genetic conservation of imperiled South Canadian River fishes, Arkansas River Shiner (Notropis girardi), Peppered Chub (Macrhybopsis tetranema) and Plains Minnow (Hybognathus placitus)

Pelagic broadcast spawning cyprinids have declined throughout the North American Great Plains because of adverse habitat changes caused by river fragmentation and altered flow regimes. Despite losses elsewhere, a 218-river kilometer section of the South Canadian River maintains three of these imperiled species: Arkansas River Shiner, Peppered Chub and Plains Minnow. The objective of this study was to determine if species occupying the same river stretch and hence a shared environment, exhibit the same trajectory of genetic change and relative abundance over contemporary timescales. Genetic evaluation of these species is an essential precursor to conservation efforts that may include translocations and establishment of captive populations. Across the time series, each species experienced substantial changes in abundance with Arkansas River Shiner consistently having the highest overall abundance. The abundance of Peppered Chub was uniformly lower but increased between 2012 and 2019, whil...浮性卵体外撒播型鲤科鱼类在北美大平原全域呈现衰退趋势，其衰退诱因系河流碎片化与水流情势改变所导致的生境恶化。尽管该类物种在其他区域已出现种群损失，但南加拿大河（South Canadian River）一段长218河道公里的河段仍存续有3种濒危此类物种：阿肯色河闪鱼（Arkansas River Shiner）、斑点雅罗鱼（Peppered Chub）与平原米诺鱼（Plains Minnow）。本研究旨在探究：共享同一段河道乃至同一生境的物种，在当代时间尺度下是否会呈现出一致的遗传变化轨迹与相对丰度模式。对上述物种开展遗传评估，是后续保育工作（涵盖物种易位与圈养种群建立）的必要前置环节。在整个时间序列中，各物种的丰度均发生显著变化，其中阿肯色河闪鱼（Arkansas River Shiner）的整体丰度始终最高。斑点雅罗鱼（Peppered Chub）的丰度整体偏低，但在2012至2019年间有所回升，而...