Range-wide Distribution and Genetic Structure of Acroneuria frisoni Stark and Brown, 1991 (Plecoptera; Perlidae): Tools for Reintroduction to Central Illinois
Acroneuria frisoni Stark & Brown, 1991(Plecoptera: Perlidae), is a highly threatened stonefly species which in Illinois alone has experienced a 98% loss of its historical range. Some previously degraded drainages within the state have improved in quality and could at present support this species. However, due to habitat fragmentation and the low vagility of A. frisoni, its return to these streams is unlikely without human intervention. This study consists of several interrelated phases: 1) Determination of the natural range of this species; 2) A range-wide phylogeographic analysis to characterize genetic structure; 3) Selection of candidate sources from among regional populations and 4) The reintroduction of A. frisoni to the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River, Vermilion County Illinois; and 5) Evaluation of reintroduction success. The mitochondrial gene Cytochrome Oxidase I (COI) was used to determine the Pleistocene glacial refugia, northward recolonization routes and the role of contemporary and ancient drainages in shaping A. frisoni genetic structure. Data suggest that there are at least three refugia throughout the range including the Interior Highlands of Arkansas and Missouri, central Tennessee and the western flank of the Appalachian Mountains. There appears to have been relatively little contribution of the Interior Highlands refugium to recolonizing populations to the north, instead, glacially influenced areas were repopulated from central Tennessee. Modern hydrological associations proved to have a large role in shaping population structure. Two streams within the Wabash River drainage were chosen as source populations from which obtain eggs for reintroduction. Over 7,000 eggs were introduced to the Middle Fork of the Vermilion. Attempts to recover individuals from sites of reintroduction were unsuccessful. Future re-introduction efforts should focus on using smaller tributaries to act as nurseries for repopulating the adjacent Middle Fork.
Plecoptera, Reintroduction, Cytochrome Oxidase I, Phylogeography
University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
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University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign