Meeting Abstract
Freshwater gastropods in the family Pleuroceridae are critical components of many freshwater ecosystems in eastern North America. Pleurocerids are important nutrient cyclers and provide essential ecosystem services. As evidence of their importance to many freshwater systems, pleurocerids can comprise over 90% of macroinvertebrate biomass in some streams. Yet, pleurocerids suffer from an estimated 79% imperilment rate, with declines mostly associated with physical and chemical modification of habitats. Aside from instances of complete extirpation, how pleurocerid populations have responded to habitat degradation has been poorly studied. Moreover, we lack data on how genetic patterns differ among species that reside in springs, small streams, and big rivers. Here, we generated datasets containing thousands of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with RAD-seq methods to examine historical responses to habitat degradation and provide comparative data for species across habitat types. In total, we sampled 12 species from 63 sites ranging from reservoirs to very small springs. We compared genetic diversity estimates among species with different habitat preferences to better understand mechanisms of genetic variation across the Pleuroceridae and to assess species boundaries of closely related species. We also examined how anthropogenic activities have influenced gene flow and genetic diversity, particularly in the context of large river impoundments. Ultimately, data generated here will aid in prioritizing conservation targets and predict potential for future declines.
