TY - JOUR
T1 - Genetic evidence challenges the native status of a threatened freshwater fish (Carassius carassius) in England
AU - Jeffries, Daniel L.
AU - Copp, Gordon H.
AU - Maes, Gregory E.
AU - Lawson Handley, Lori
AU - Sayer, Carl D.
AU - Hänfling, Bernd
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors thank the FSBI (www.fsbi.org.uk) and Cefas (Lowestoft, UK) for funding this research, and the Flemish Agency for Nature and Forests (Research project nr B&G/22/2003) for additional support of GM. We also thank all land owners and the following contributors of fish tissue; Keith Wesley, Ian Patmore, Dave Emson (England), and the staff of The Research Institute for Nature and Forest (Belgium).
Publisher Copyright:
© 2017 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
PY - 2017/5
Y1 - 2017/5
N2 - A fundamental consideration for the conservation of a species is the extent of its native range, that is, regions naturally colonized. However, both natural processes and human-mediated introductions can drive species distribution shifts. Ruling out the human-mediated introduction of a species into a given region is vital for its conservation, but remains a significant challenge in most cases. The crucian carp Carassius carassius (L.) is a threatened freshwater fish thought to be native to much of Europe. However, its native status in England is based only on anecdotal evidence. Here, we devise an approach that can be used to empirically test the native status of English fauna. We use this approach, along with 13 microsatellite loci, population structure analyses, and Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC), to test hypotheses for the origins of C. carassius in England. Contrary to the current consensus, we find strong support for the human-mediated introduction of C. carassius into England during the 15th century. This result stimulates an interesting and timely debate surrounding motivations for the conservation of species. We discuss this topic, and the potential for continued conservation of C. carassius in England, despite its non-native origins.
AB - A fundamental consideration for the conservation of a species is the extent of its native range, that is, regions naturally colonized. However, both natural processes and human-mediated introductions can drive species distribution shifts. Ruling out the human-mediated introduction of a species into a given region is vital for its conservation, but remains a significant challenge in most cases. The crucian carp Carassius carassius (L.) is a threatened freshwater fish thought to be native to much of Europe. However, its native status in England is based only on anecdotal evidence. Here, we devise an approach that can be used to empirically test the native status of English fauna. We use this approach, along with 13 microsatellite loci, population structure analyses, and Approximate Bayesian Computation (ABC), to test hypotheses for the origins of C. carassius in England. Contrary to the current consensus, we find strong support for the human-mediated introduction of C. carassius into England during the 15th century. This result stimulates an interesting and timely debate surrounding motivations for the conservation of species. We discuss this topic, and the potential for continued conservation of C. carassius in England, despite its non-native origins.
KW - Approximate Bayesian Computation
KW - introduced species
KW - land bridge
KW - microsatellites
KW - postglacial recolonization
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U2 - 10.1002/ece3.2831
DO - 10.1002/ece3.2831
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85016305882
SN - 2045-7758
VL - 7
SP - 2871
EP - 2882
JO - Ecology and Evolution
JF - Ecology and Evolution
IS - 9
ER -
