Meeting Abstract
The introduction and subsequent expansion of the Northern snakehead (Channa argus) in North American waters is one of many problematic biological invasions in the United States. This harmful aquatic invasive species is a predatory freshwater fish native to Asia that has established itself in multiple water basins in the eastern United States, as well as an expanding range in the Midwest. Previously, we assessed the population structure and estimated long-term effective population sizes of the populations present in the United States. However, the source of introduction for these fish remains unknown. In this work, we aim to determine the source of the North American introductions. To accomplish this, we used whole genome scans (2b-RAD genomic sequencing) to analyze single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that allow us to screen the genomes of captured fish from both United States waters and from a number of sites in their native range. Using this cost-effective approach, we recovered 2,632 single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci from genomic DNA extracted from 194 fish: 164 fish sampled from the eastern United States and Arkansas, and 30 fish sampled from three regions of the Yangtzee River basin in China (n=10 per basin). Preliminary analyses directly link a fish captured in the Upper Hudson River basin to two Lakes that are part of the Yangtzee River basin in China. This valuable information has the potential to result in more effective management of this harmful invasive species. Furthermore, additional sampling from the native range could help to determine the source(s) of introduction for the other fish in the eastern United States and Arkansas, and therefore aid management in preventing future introductions into United States waterways.
