Conservation Status and Genetic Management of the Sonoyta pupfish (Cyprinodon eremus) along the US-Mexico Border

Authors: Alejandro Varela-Romero, Nohelia Pacheco-Hoyos, Román Rodríguez-Ramírez, Michael Bogan, Alexsandre Gutiérrez-Barragán

Year: 2017 (xlix)

Abstract

The Sonoyta pupfish native range is restricted to the spring and pond of Quitobaquito (Organ Pipe National Monument, Arizona) and small reaches of the Sonoyta River (Sonora) along the international border There is an immense concern for the conservation of this species due to threats posed by drought, groundwater pumping, introduced fishes, border traffic and dispersal barriers Although the Sonoyta pupfish does not have conservation status in NOM-059-2010, it is of binational interest to preserve the species due to the extreme degree of desertification in the area As a result of these concerns, a total of 5 refuges of the species have been created in Sonora in federal institutions such as the Reserve de la Biosfera El Pinacate y Gran de Desierto de Altar, state parks such as the Centro Ecologico de Sonora and the COBACH en Sonoyta, and NGOs as the CEDO in Puerto Peñasco In Arizona there are four refuges of the species managed by federal, state and NGO agencies However, comprehensive studies are lacking for all natural and refuge populations In addition, refuge populations were established without regard to genetic variability and population structure This lack of genetic consideration could hamper reintroduction efforts if they are used to repopulate natural habitats that are poorly adapted or genetically bottlenecked Our project aims to respond to these information needs by determining the status of all natural and refuge populations of the Sonoyta pupfish in Arizona and Sonora through population sampling in natural habitats and assessments of refugee populations in captivity In addition, it intends to use existing microsatellites to quantify the genetic structure of Sonoyta pupfish populations in natural, and to determine the genetic viability of refuge population, as well as the genetic representativeness of refuge populations to compare with published data of the natural populations In addition, the morphometric characterization of the morphology of the refuge populations will be carried out to compare them with the wild populations, and to know if these refuge populations have a morphotype that corresponds to the one known for the species due to its maintenance in a different lentic habitat