Post-Perturbation Genetic Changes in Populations of Endangered Virgin River Chubs

A 34-kilometer reach of the Virgin River, Utah-Arizona-Nevada, was poisoned with rotenone in an attempt to eradicate non-native red shiners (Cyprinella lutrensis), a species implicated in the decline of native fish populations in the American West. An error in detoxification resulted in lethal concentrations of piscicide passing through an additional 50 kilometers of stream. We used allozyme electrophoresis to analyze genetic variation among pre- and post-poison samples of endangered Virgin River chubs (Gila seminuda). Pre-poison samples indicated a single panmictic population in the river. In contrast, fish subsequently produced through natural recruitment in poisoned reaches exhibited deviations from the original pattern of genetic variation. A genetic bottleneck caused by severe reduction in the number of spawning adults was indicated. The altered pattern persisted 2.5 years post-poisoning, indicating unexpectedly slow recolonization from the unpoisoned reach upstream. Genetic variation among hatchery-produced young was similarly unrepresentative of the original pattern because of the small number of brood fish used in propagation. Because of their small numbers and/or restricted distribution, endangered species are particularly vulnerable to natural or anthropogenic catastrophes. Assessment of the genetic impact of such events is essential but requires that baseline data are available.