Revisiting the Biogeography of the Owens Basin fishes

Authors: Nicholas Buckmaster

Year: 2023

Abstract

Biogeography requires a synthesis of both the geological and biological history in a region- creating a consensus narrative that proverbially describes ‘how things came to be.’ Interpretation of these disparate fields results in hypothesis that are periodically revised and revisited as new phylogenetic, paleontologic, and geologic information becomes available. This talk will review several recent genetic and geological studies centered on the paleo-Death Valley hydrologic system and focus on the Cypriniform fishes (Desert Speckled Dace, Rhinichthys nevadensis; Owens Sucker, Catostomus fumeiventris; and Owens Tui Chub, Siphateles bicolor snyderi) that inhabit the upper and lower Owens Basin. The geologic and phylogenetic data suggests recolonization of the entire proto-Owens River watershed from north and south following the Long Valley Caldera eruption. These fish were subsequently isolated within the Long Valley, Owens Valley, and Death Valley quaternary watersheds by both tectonism and glacial cycles.