Genetic Variation in Gulf Sturgeon and What It Tells Us about Population Structure, Movement Patterns and Population History

The anadromous Gulf sturgeon occurs along the north central coast of the Gulf of Mexico and is federally listed as threatened.  We have genotyped over 1000 individuals from nine drainages for fourteen microsatellite loci.  As might be expected in an anadromous species, multiple analyses provide clear evidence of strong population structure across its range.  Perhaps also not surprisingly, we also detected extensive interdrainage movements by the adults, which have also been confirmed by telemetry.  Most of the interdrainage movements detected by the genetic data demonstrate particular geographic patterns.  Both the reproductive fidelity and patterns of adult movements across the Gulf of Mexico have important implications for conservation efforts.  We will also use these genetic data to examine the demographic history of populations in individual drainages.  In particular, we are interested in comparing the largest population (Suwannee) to the others, which are mostly remnants of formerly much larger populations.