Cryptic diversity among Yazoo Darters (Percidae: Etheostoma raneyi) in disjunct watersheds of northern Mississippi

The Yazoo Darter, Etheostoma raneyi (Percidae), is an imperiled freshwater fish species endemic to tributaries of the Yocona and Little Tallahatchie rivers of the upper Yazoo River basin, in northern Mississippi, USA. The two populations are allopatric, isolated by unsuitable lowland habitat between the two river drainages. Relevant literature suggests that populations in the Yocona River represent an undescribed species, but a lack of data prevents a thorough evaluation of possible diversity throughout the range of the species. Our goals were to estimate phylogenetic relationships of the Yazoo Darter across its distribution and identify cryptic diversity for conservation management purposes. Maximum likelihood (ML) phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial cytochrome b (cytb) gene returned two reciprocally monophyletic clades representing the two river drainages with high support. Bayesian analysis of cytb was consistent with the ML analysis but with low support for the Yocona River clade. Analyses of the nuclear S7 gene yielded unresolved relationships among individuals in the Little Tallahatchie River drainage with mostly low support, but returned a monophyletic clade for individuals from the Yocona River drainage with high support. No haplotypes were shared between the drainages for either gene. Additional cryptic diversity within the two drainages was not indicated. Estimated divergence between Yazoo Darters in the two drainages occurred during the Pleistocene (<1 million years ago) and was likely linked to repeated spatial shifts in suitable habitat and changes in watershed configurations during glacial cycles. Individuals from the Yocona River drainage had lower genetic diversity consistent with the literature. Our results indicate that Yazoo Darters in the Yocona River drainage are genetically distinct and that there is support for recognizing Yazoo Darter populations in the Yocona River drainage as a new species under the unified species concept.

Spatial stochastic and analytical approaches to describe the complex hydraulic variability inherent channel geometry

The effects of basin hydrology on channel hydraulic variability for incised streams were investigated using available field data sets and models of watershed hydrology and channel hydraulics for Yazoo River Basin, USA. The study presents the hydraulic relations of bankfull discharge, channel width, mean depth, cross- sectional area, longitudinal slope, unit stream power, and runoff production as a function of drainage area using simple linear regression. The hydraulic geometry relations were developed for sixty one streams, twenty of them are classified as channel evaluation model (CEM) Types IV and V and forty one of them are streams of CEM Types II and III. These relationships are invaluable to hydraulic and water resources engineers, hydrologists, and geomorphologists, involved in stream restoration and protection. These relations can be used to assist in field identification of bankfull stage and stream dimension in un-gauged watersheds as well as estimation of the comparative stability of a stream channel. Results of this research show good fit of hydraulic geometry relationships in the Yazoo River Basin. The relations indicate that bankfull discharge, channel width, mean depth, cross-sectional area have stronger correlation to changes in drainage area than the longitudinal slope, unit stream power, and runoff production for streams CEM Types II and III. The hydraulic geometry relations show that runoff production, bankfull discharge, cross-sectional area, and unit stream power are much more responsive to changes in drainage area than are channel width, mean depth, and slope for streams of CEM Types IV and V. Also, the relations show that bankfull discharge and cross-sectional area are more responsive to changes in drainage area than are other hydraulic variables for streams of CEM Types II and III. The greater the regression slope, the more responsive to changes in drainage area will be.