Comparative analysis of eukaryotic community assemblages in Devils Hole and its constructed analog

Authors: Paulson, Elizabeth Abbey*, Martin, Andrew

Year: 2015 (xlvii)

Abstract

A small opening into a massive aquifer in western Nevada, known as Devils Hole, provides the sole natural habitat for the federally endangered Devils Hole pupfish (Cyprinodon diabolis). In the midst of a dramatic population decline, a replica habitat has been constructed to grow and house a backup population of this enigmatic desert fish. The replica pool was designed to precisely mimic both the abiotic environment and biotic community found in Devils Hole. We used environmental DNA surveys to characterize the eukaryotic communities found in the two systems, across all micro- and macrobiota, to assess similarities in species assemblages and discern possible drivers of community divergence. Although alpha diversity did not differ significantly as of June 2015, the two systems currently comprise different community compositions overall, as well as within algal mat, benthic sediment, and water column habitats. These discrepancies in community composition may be due to the absence of ecologically important nutrient-cycling taxa in the constructed pool, or differences in environmental variables such as temperature, insolation, and dissolved oxygen.