Speaker: Genevieve Diedericks Ph.D.

Post-Doctoral Researcher
University of Antwerp
Belgium
Will present a talk titled:
Take me to the river, drop me in the water: unravelling the invasion history of the smallmouth bass, Micropterus dolomieu

Abstract: Biological invasions represent a significant threat to the earth’s biota, including
freshwater ecosystems. Whilst various studies have been conducted on invasive species in the
hopes of establishing a set of general guidelines to facilitate our understanding of the invasion
pathway and the features (organismal or environmental) that may assist in a species’ invasion
success, predictions and generalisations remain challenging and limited. In this study, we
attempted to unravel the role of genetic diversity in a species’ invasive success, by (1)
assessing the genetic differentiation and diversity within smallmouth bass (Micropterus
dolomieu) populations in the invaded South African range, and (2) examining how the
genetic diversity may have changed over time in both native and invasive ranges. Moreover,
as admixture may have contributed to elevated levels of genetic diversity observed within the
invaded range, we tested the hypothesis that hybridisation and introgression can occur
between two freshwater invaders (M. dolomieu and M. salmoides) in a novel invaded range.
By comparing the genetic signature of M. dolomieu from the contemporary invasive SA
range, contemporary native USA range and the historic native USA range, we reveal the
presence of elevated levels of genetic diversity for the invasive SA range. Furthermore,
despite being phylogenetically distantly related, we detected unidirectional mitochondrial
introgression between the two invasive species, suggesting that introgressive hybridisation
may have played a pivotal role in the successful establishment and spread of M. dolomieu
upon introduction in South Africa.

Date: Friday, 24 September 2021
Time: 2:00 pm
Zoom Link: https://clarkson.zoom.us/j/93105703582?pwd=ZTgycFJmVjluVmxSSjg5Q1MyRVFoZz09
Meeting ID: 931 0570 3582
Passcode: 220125