Conservation Genetics of Clinch Dace Chrosomus sp. cf. saylori

Clinch Dace (Chrosomus sp. cf. saylori) is a newly recognized and yet-undescribed species of minnow with a restricted and fragmented distribution in the upper Tennessee River basin in southwestern Virginia, USA. We collected Clinch Dace from seven streams and observed variations at nine selectively neutral microsatellite DNA loci to infer population genetic processes and identify units for conservation management. Bayesian cluster analysis showed that three of the seven surveyed populations were genetically distinct, while the other four populations showed signs of recent admixture. Estimated effective population sizes and m-ratios were low within most populations, suggesting loss of alleles due to recent genetic drift. Positive F-IS values, high average individual inbreeding coefficients, and high degrees of inferred relatedness among individuals suggested that inbreeding is taking place in some populations. F-ST values were high, and analysis of molecular variance indicated genetic divergence among populations. These indicators suggest that Clinch Dace populations are subject to the genetic processes that are characteristic of small and isolated populations.

Automated summary

Clinch Dace is a newly discovered fish species with a limited and scattered distribution in the upper Tennessee River basin in southwestern Virginia, USA. The genetic analysis shows that three out of the seven surveyed populations are genetically distinct, while the other four populations show signs of recent admixture. The populations have low effective population sizes and are subjected to inbreeding, genetic drift, and genetic divergence among populations.