Anthony Gagliano
Project
The hybridization between bluegill and pumpkinseed sunfish among Montreal's west-island fish communitiesAs the human population grows, land transformation and urbanization are altering terrestrial and aquatic habitats worldwide (Ehrlich Paul R. & Holdren John P., 1971; Chunco, 2014; Sullivan et al., 2017; Grabenstein & Taylor, 2018). The reduction of essential aquatic habitats used by fish for feeding, cover, and reproduction increases the likelihood of interactions between different species (Chunco, 2014; Grabenstein & Taylor, 2018). Specifically, reduced spawning habitat and increased contact among closely related fish can cause reproductive overlap leading to hybridisation (Chunco, 2014). The ability of sunfish to hybridise in the wild is well documented (Konkle & Philipp, 1992; Scribner et al., 2004; Bolnick, 2009; Garner & Neff, 2013). Pumpkinseed (Lepomis gibbosus) and bluegill (Lepomis macrochirus) sunfish use the same reproductive strategies by nesting in littoral zones, which are subject to increasing shoreline development, trophic status (eutrophication), and turbidity in Montreal’s west island but also other North American lakes and reservoirs. The reduction of essential spawning habitat may cause increased overlap among available nesting sites and facilitate hybridisation between the two species. The main objective of this research is to assess the extent of hybridisation in differently urbanized areas by studying bluegill (L. macrochirus) and pumpkinseed (L. gibbosus) sunfish around the west island of Montreal, Quebec and Lake Opinicon, Ontario. Specific aims are: 1) Measure differences in shape among captured sunfish using geometric morphometrics. 2) Perform DNA profiling of the collected samples to genetically fingerprint and confirm possible hybrid individuals. 3) Perform gut content analysis and stable isotopes to better understand pure and hybrid individuals' diet and their trophic status. 4) Compare the underlying genomic processes that are happening in hybrids collected from Lake Opinicon, Ontario to those collected from Montreal using whole genome or Rad sequencing.
