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Dryad

Bayou Darter next-gen sequence data and analyses

Data files

Mar 21, 2025 version files 7.85 MB

Abstract

Bayou Darters (Nothonotus rubrus) are a small benthic fish endemic to Bayou Pierre, Mississippi. The entire range of the species is threatened by geomorphic change due to accelerated erosion, channel incision, and channel evolution processes stemming from the migration of the Mississippi River and human alterations to the landscape. Bayou Darters have disappeared from much of mainstem Bayou Pierre, but have expanded their range upstream into formerly unoccupied tributaries, in concert with upstream progression of channel evolution processes. In this dataset, we document an effort to understand whether upstream dispersal into tributaries is affecting gene flow through fragmentation of populations. We used Next-Gen sequencing approaches to develop high-resolution molecular datasets to assess population structure, patterns of heterozygosity, and effective populations size, throughout the contemporary distribution of the species.