Genetic Identification of an Unknown Waterdog (genus Necturus) Population from an Appalachian River
Disciplines
Evolution | Genetics | Integrative Biology | Terrestrial and Aquatic Ecology
Abstract (300 words maximum)
Waterdogs (genus Necturus) are a group of fully aquatic salamanders that include several different species distributed throughout the east of the United States. The complex fluvial geography of eastern Tennessee and northern Georgia, as well as the evolutionary history of waterdogs from that genus, may create conditions that promote speciation and hybridization between the species found in the area (e.g., N. maculosus, N. beyeri, and N. alabamensis). In this study, we use genetic data to determine the identity of a population of waterdogs from a river where they had not previously been reported. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and specifically designed PCR primers to amplify mitochondrial DNA from different samples collected along some points of this river, we conducted Sanger sequencing for all samples, and we placed them in an alignment with existing DNA sequencing data from GenBank. We then built a phylogenetic tree to help identify this population and better explain the geographic distribution of the different species of waterdogs in this region, as well as to gain a deeper understanding of their genetic relationships. By better understanding these relationships, we can contribute to efforts to characterize and conserve Appalachian biodiversity—especially because waterdogs (like other amphibians) may be indicators of a healthy ecosystem.
Academic department under which the project should be listed
CSM - Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology
Primary Investigator (PI) Name
Todd Pierson
Genetic Identification of an Unknown Waterdog (genus Necturus) Population from an Appalachian River
Waterdogs (genus Necturus) are a group of fully aquatic salamanders that include several different species distributed throughout the east of the United States. The complex fluvial geography of eastern Tennessee and northern Georgia, as well as the evolutionary history of waterdogs from that genus, may create conditions that promote speciation and hybridization between the species found in the area (e.g., N. maculosus, N. beyeri, and N. alabamensis). In this study, we use genetic data to determine the identity of a population of waterdogs from a river where they had not previously been reported. We used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and specifically designed PCR primers to amplify mitochondrial DNA from different samples collected along some points of this river, we conducted Sanger sequencing for all samples, and we placed them in an alignment with existing DNA sequencing data from GenBank. We then built a phylogenetic tree to help identify this population and better explain the geographic distribution of the different species of waterdogs in this region, as well as to gain a deeper understanding of their genetic relationships. By better understanding these relationships, we can contribute to efforts to characterize and conserve Appalachian biodiversity—especially because waterdogs (like other amphibians) may be indicators of a healthy ecosystem.