Genetic management of the Devils Hole pupfish: More fish, more fins, more data

Authors: Michael Schwemm, Jennifer Gumm, Olin Feuerbacher, Jeffrey Goldstein, Ambre Chaudoin, Kevin Wilson, John Wullschleger, Brandon Senger, Alex Jones

Year: 2021

Abstract

Despite the many the significant contributions to the conservation and management of Devils Hole pupfish Cyprinodon diabolis over the last 50 years, population-level studies guiding the management of genetic resources have been limited, due in-part to extreme precautions to avoid even minimal impacts of fish handling and tissue collection. Past studies have showed consistently, and unsurprisingly, extremely low levels of genetic variation in the natural population at Devils Hole, and proposed genetic hypotheses for drastic population declines that occurred in the middle 1990s and beyond. The ultimate conservation goal for the Devils Hole pupfish is the establishment of secure refugia populations to guard against stochastic and catastrophic events. The Ash Meadows Fish Conservation Facility (AMFCF), established in fall 2013, represents the only lasting and extant refuge population of Devils Hole pupfish. As such, the best management of the AMFCF (and species) requires the genetic monitoring and maintenance of both the wild and refuge populations. Incremental improvements in the collection, propagation, and operation of the refuge tank has reached the stage where managers have the fortunate position and need to consider the active management of genetic resources. This paper will discuss the current protocols to maintain demographic and genetic resources in the species, and the in-progress studies to inform future genetic management. The relative stability in operation of the AMFCF to maintain population size in recent years will likely provide increased opportunity to monitor genetic variation, and cautiously manage the genetic resources within the comfort of the collective managing agencies.