Meeting Abstract
Many freshwater systems in the eastern United States rely on pleurocerid snails as important nutrient cyclers that have an outsized influence on community structure. Yet, many pleurocerids are critically imperiled, and almost all are understudied.One such understudied species is Leptoxis compacta, a species endemic to the middle and upper Cahaba River in central Alabama. Leptoxis compacta was previously thought to be extinct but was rediscovered in 2011. With a current range that is 90% less than its historical range, genetic data is needed to improve our understanding of Leptoxis compacta biology, inform future listing decisions, and ensure effective management efforts. Here, we performed field surveys across the range of Leptoxis compacta and generated genome-scale data for population genetic analyses. In total, we collected 80 specimens of L. compacta from four sites, including one site that increases the upstream extent of the known distribution by over 4 km. This nearly doubles the known range of L. compacta. Single nucleotide polymorphism data (SNPs) were generated with a 2bRAD approach and Illumina sequencing. We modeled migration and gene flow patterns among populations to understand species resilience and potential for natural population and range expansion. The results from this research will be used by the US Fish and Wildlife Service in future listing decisions for Leptoxis compacta.
