Brendan Calhoun Kyle
Published: 2021
Total Pages: 0
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Wetlands are rapidly being lost from human impacts, and in California the effects are especially dramatic. Sensitive wetland habitats, like vernal pools, are at risk of being lost. Vernal pools are home to many endemic species, so the conservation of vernal pools is critical to maintaining California's biodiversity. Understanding the ecological, physiological, and genetic aspects of a species is important when implementing critical management for the persistence of endangered species. The longhorn fairy shrimp, Branchinecta longiantenna, is one of several endemic and endangered inhabitants of California's vernal pools. Longhorn fairy shrimp distribution is quite restricted, they are found in only three regions of California (Altamont Pass, Kesterson National Wildlife Refuge, and Carrizo Plains). Little is known about their ecology, physiology, and genetics. My research aimed to establish a framework of our genetic understanding of longhorn fairy shrimp throughout its range. I analyzed population genomic data for samples collected from each region to determine population structure and variation. I found evidence for phylogeographic structure associated with isolated regions from pairwise estimates of population differentiation, principal component analysis, and phylogenetics. Differentiation within regions was generally low, but much higher at Altamont Pass, which is likely due to differences in population size and dispersal. This is also reflected in levels of heterozygosity, which were much lower in the Altamont Pass pool than any other. These differences stress that management programs should use evolutionary significant units that distinguish longhorn fairy shrimp by their respective regions when developing conservation plans for this species.