Details of Research Interests
North
American minnows exhibit an array of
breeding behaviors. A fascinating strategy is
nest
association in which minnows of one species spawn
in nests built
by other fishes. I am particularly
interested in a group of minnows that spawn in the
nests of other minnows. The Notropis subgenus
Hydrophlox contains at least eight species
and all
members have been observed utilizing minnow nests
for spawning substrate. However, level of
obligateness and many details of life history are
relatively unknown for this subgenus. More importantly,
relationships within Hydrophlox
have not been resolved by any current published phylogenies. I
will generate a 2-marker molecular phylogeny for the subgenus Hydrophlox and map various
breeding, life history, and ecological variables onto the resultant
tree(s).
Above image: Notropis baileyi over a gravel nest
of Nocomis leptocephalus (©
MFC).
Some Pictures of Hydrophlox
(all images © MFC):
Notropis chrosomus
Notropis
chiliticus Notropis baileyi fresh-caught
Notropis leuciodus
male and females in
preserved specimen
male from Pascagoula drainage in
preserved specimen
home aquarium
Mississippi
MORE TO COME...
N.
chlorocephalus, N. lutipinnis, N. rubricroceus, N. nubilus
I also studied
fish behavior for my Master's Thesis at the
University of Southern Mississippi under the direction of Dr.
Steve Ross. My thesis
was titled: An investigation of
chemical alarm systems in a coevolved assemblage of freshwater fishes
from the Southeastern United States. I was particularly interested in
testing the Predator Attraction Hypothesis which proposes that fish
alarm substances have evolved via direct selection by attracting
multiple predators to a predation event which would result in
competition between the predators allowing the potential prey fish a
chance to escape (Mathis et al. 1995, Chivers et al. 1995).
In order to test this hypothesis:
1. I studied the alarm reactions of 5 common Mississippi fishes to
determine which potential prey fish exhibit a response to conspecific
alarm stimuli and to test the utility of a newly-designed
apparatus.
Cyprinella
venusta - strong fright
response
Pimephales vigilax - strong
fright response
Gambusia
affinis - moderate fright
response
Fundulus
olivaceus - no measurable
fright response
Lepomis
macrochirus - apparent
attraction to stimulus
(ms in progress, to be submitted to Southeastern
Naturalist)
2. I then studied the response of
a common piscivorous fish (Micropterus
punctulatus/Spotted Bass)
to the
alarm substance of the above species.
They showed no attraction to any skin stimuli (the location of alarm
pheromones), however they did respond to muscle stimulus of C. venusta (the most common species
collected in the Pascagoula drainage).
(see Cashner 2004)
Lit. Cited:
Cashner, M. F. 2004. Are
Spotted Bass (Micropterus punctulatus)
attracted to
Schreckstoff?
A test of the predator attraction hypothesis.
Copeia 2004(3): 592-598.
Chivers, D. P., G. E. Brown, and R. J. F.
Smith. 1995. The evolution of chemical alarm
signals: attracting predators benefist alarm signal
senders. Am. Nat.
148(4): 649-659.
Mathis, A., D. P.
Chivers, and R. J. F. Smith. 1995.
Chemical alarm signals: predator
deterrents or
predator attractants? Am. Nat. 145(6): 994-1005.
Some very useful
links:
Professional Societies:
American Society of Ichthyologists and
Herpetologists (ASIH)
Southeastern
Fishes Council
North American Native Fishes Association
(NANFA)
American Fisheries
Society (AFS)
Fish Reference Sites:
The
Catalog of Fishes
FishBase
Museums:
Tulane Museum
of Natural History
University of
Alabama Ichthyological Collection
National Museum of Natural
History
Back
Home