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Conservation genetics of prickly sculpin (Cottus asper) at the periphery of its distribution range in Peace River, Canada

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Abstract

Populations at the edge of their range often invoke taxonomic confusion and are increasingly considered to harbour cryptic genetic diversity of significant adaptive potential. In the Peace River region of northwestern Canada, three sculpin species have been reported: spoonhead (Cottus ricei), slimy (Cottus cognatus) and prickly (Cottus asper) sculpin. Prickly sculpin occurrence in this region represents the most eastern edge of its distribution, but its status has remained uncertain following its initial discovery in 1989. These populations may represent an independently evolving lineage of special conservation concern, or be the consequence of an ongoing range expansion, possibly accompanied by interspecific hybridization with local species. Using a combination of mtDNA sequencing and microsatellite analyses, we did not find peripheral population differentiation or interspecific hybridization, suggesting that the Albertan Peace River population belongs to the same genetic group as its western counterparts. Future studies will benefit from a greater understanding of whether demographically independent prickly sculpin populations established in Alberta without the typical genetic signatures of expansion at the periphery of their range.

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Acknowledgments

Field assistance by Andrew Rezansoff, Lisa Duke and Stevi Vanderzwan is highly appreciated. We thank three anonymous reviewers for constructive comments on an earlier version of this manuscript. We are particularly indebted to Elke Bustorf (Max-Planck-Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plön, Germany) for help with genotyping. We are thankful to the Albertan Conservation Association (ACA Grants in Biodiversity Program) for financial support. SMR and SMV are funded by the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Discovery Grant Program, and SMR is funded by an Alberta Innovates Technology Futures New Faculty Award.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. NW, Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada

    Stefan Dennenmoser, Steven M. Vamosi & Sean M. Rogers

  2. Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, August-Thienemannstrasse 2, 24306, Plön, Germany

    Arne W. Nolte

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  1. Stefan Dennenmoser
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  2. Arne W. Nolte
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  3. Steven M. Vamosi
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  4. Sean M. Rogers
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Correspondence to Stefan Dennenmoser.

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Dennenmoser, S., Nolte, A.W., Vamosi, S.M. et al. Conservation genetics of prickly sculpin (Cottus asper) at the periphery of its distribution range in Peace River, Canada. Conserv Genet 14, 735–739 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10592-013-0465-z

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