Effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on population fragmentation in three species of North American minnows (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)

Abstract

Geographic patterns of genetic variation (mithocondrial DNA [mtDNA] and allozymes) were used to examine effects of intrinsic characteristics (e.g., vagility, habitat specificity, and reproductive behaviors) and extrinsic factors (e.g., climatic and geological history) on populations fragmentation. The three species of cyprinid fishes examined (Tiaroga cobitis, Meda fulgida, and Angosia chrysogaster) occupied similar historical ranges within the lower Colorado River drainage, but differ in intrinsic characteristic conductive to populations fragmentation. Relationships among populations were similar across species, reflecting common historical influences, but results indicate the distribution of variation among species is strongly affected by intrinsic characteristics. Variation within two species (T. cobitis and M. fulgida) is subdivided among populations, suggesting little gene flow among rivers. In contrast, similarity of A. chrysogaster populations throughout the Gila River drainage supports the hypothesis that levels of gene flow are high for this species. Levels of mtDNA divergence were much higher than expected for both T cobitis and A. chrysogaster suggesting long-term isolation of geographic regions. These results indicate that both long-term and short-term extrinsic factors have shaped basic patterns of variation within these fishes; however, the intrinsic characteristics of each species have strongly affected the population genetic structure of these fishes.