Publication: Yo! Venice

UCLA Expert: David Jacobs: Professor, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Member, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability

Synopsis: As California’s water resources dwindle and urban areas expand, a species of fish that is rarely heard of is on the brink of homelessness. In an effort to save this subspecies, researchers at UCLA have sequenced its genome and identified distinct populations in Southern California that may be able to help guide interventions. Published in Molecular Ecology, the study was conducted in partnership with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Geological Survey. 

UCLA News: 

“Low-plate stickleback fish are doing well in coastal lagoons, but unarmored sticklebacks are not doing well elsewhere,” said co-author Jacobs. “They are very near to dying out completely in the upper Santa Clara River, the location in which they were first discovered and described by scientists. Re-establishing more populations in the wild that represent the genetic lineages we have in Southern California is how we can make sure our genetically distinct sticklebacks persist.” The findings showed that coastal and upstream populations have differences that merit efforts for the protection of their genetic uniqueness — an especially important factor taken into account as conservation efforts have previously relied on an appraisal based on morphology or shape rather than genetics alone. “People are big on restoring trout, and that should definitely be done,” Jacobs said. “But it is probably a lot easier and a good first step to that end to restore unarmored stickleback populations because of the smaller amount of free-flowing water required.”

Read more at Yo! Venice.