Publications by Year: 2010

2010
Varela-Romero, Alejandro, and Dean A. Hendrickson. “Peces dulceaquícolas.” Diversidad Biológica de Sonora, 1st: 339–356. Ciudad Universitaria, D.F., México: Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, 1st, 339–356. Publisher's Version
Mayden, Richard L., Casey B. Dillman, Héctor Espinosa-Pérez, Joseph R. Tomelleri, Bernard R. Kuhajda, Dean A. Hendrickson, Gorgonio Ruíz-Campos, et al.Evolution and diversity of trout species in the Sierra Madre Occidental of Mexico.” Conserving wild trout, Proceedings of the Wild Trout X Symposium, X: 134–144. Bozeman, Montana, USA, X, 134–144. Publisher's VersionAbstract
The trout species of Mexico‘s Sierra Madre Occidental (SMO) range have been essentially ignored in science except for the efforts of Needham and Gard (1959) in the mid-20th century. Even after their work documenting the existence of the Mexican Golden Trout Oncorhynchus chrysogaster no focused efforts to study the diversity in the SMO south of the USA were initiated until 1997. Sampling in the Sierra Madre Occidental is extremely difficult, but our efforts since that year have revealed that all of Mexico‘s SMO trout are native (except for hatchery-reared) to the Río Yaqui system southward to the Río Acaponeta, and in the Río Conchos drainage. Morphological and genetic studies of the populations from these rivers support the hypothesis of multiple divergent lineages that we argue are distinct evolutionary species. Conservation and protection of these lineages are critical and should constitute a coordinated effort involving governmental agencies, private organizations, nonprofit groups, and individuals. More inventory work is warranted to better understand the distributions of the native trout and efforts should be made to eliminate the introduction of ―hatchery rainbow trout‖ Oncorhynchus mykiss into grow-out facilities in these mountains, instead replaced with propagation efforts on the different native species within their respective drainages. The diversity of wildlife and natural features across the SMO could, with proper planning and maintenance, serve as a fundamental, environmentally sound, sustainable resource for the region via ecotourism.
McClure-Baker, Sherri A., Anthony A. Echelle, Ronald A. van den Bussche, Alice F. Echelle, Dean A. Hendrickson, and Gary P. Garrett. “Genetic Status of Headwater Catfish in Texas and New Mexico: A Perspective from mtDNA and Morphology.” Transactions of the American Fisheries Society 139 (6): 1780–1791. Publisher's VersionAbstract
Collections of 231 catfish from 34 localities were surveyed for mtDNA (399 base pairs of cytochrome b) and morphological evidence of headwater catfish Ictalurus lupus in areas of historical occurrence in Texas and New Mexico. The species is of concern for conservation managers, primarily because of the potential for population losses from competition and hybridization with channel catfish I. punctatus. For cytochrome b, there were two deeply divergent (4.8–6.1%) groups, a channel catfish clade of 14 haplotypes (0.8% to 1.3% divergence) and a headwater catfish clade of two haplotypes (1.0% divergence), associated with morphotypes of channel catfish and headwater catfish, respectively. Morphotypes were based on field identification and a canonical discriminant function utilizing external morphology. All specimens from the Nueces River and the main-stem Rio Grande and the Pecos River conformed to morphological and mtDNA expectations for channel catfish. Apparently pure populations of headwater catfish were found only in two relatively isolated situations (Rocky Arroyo, New Mexico, and San Solomon Spring, Texas). Additional genetic evidence of headwater catfish was restricted to four populations in streams that are direct tributaries of either the Pecos River or the Rio Grande. Two of these populations (Independence Creek and Dolan Creek—Devils River) were morphologically distinct from, but shifted toward, the morphotype of channel catfish. A third population (Pinto Creek) was morphologically indistinguishable from channel catfish, and individuals from the fourth population (Delaware River) had morphotypes consistent with both species. The Pinto Creek, Independence Creek, and Delaware River populations exhibited mtDNA haplotypes from both species, whereas the Dolan Creek—Devils River population was fixed for a haplotype from the headwater catfish clade. A survey of early collection records tentatively suggests that hybridization between headwater catfish and channel catfish might be a result of relatively recent introduction of the latter to the Rio Grande basin.
Hendrickson, Dean A., Sahotra Sarkar, and Ann Molineux. “Final Report: Provision and Inventory of Diverse Aquatic Ecosystem-related Resources for the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative (GPLCC).” U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and University of Texas at Austin, 20181AG915, 111. Publisher's VersionAbstract
In 2010, the Great Plains LCC funded a project that compiled and standardized more than 76,000 existing data records from natural history museums. Led by Dean Hendrickson, Curator of Ichthyology at the University of Texas Austin, the researchers compiled extensive, high quality data sets on occurrences of fishes, aquatic reptiles and amphibians, freshwater mussels, and cave invertebrates from the Texas, New Mexico, Colorado and Oklahoma portions of the GPLCC region. Much of the wealth of information stored in natural history collections requires substantial investment in order to make it accessible and useful to natural resource managers and researchers. Over 55 percent of the records provided by this project are georeferenced and in a format suitable for immediate use in climate models and conservation planning. “This project provides essential data to our partners throughout the region,” says GPLCC Science Coordinator James Broska. “Sharing data and making it easily accessible is a primary function of LCCs.” As part of the project, researchers demonstrated how this type of occurrence data can be effectively combined in computer models with various environmental data in ways that greatly facilitate planning at the landscape level. Using fish occurrence data for Texas, they applied it in rigorous modeling, climate change and conservation network planning exercises. The models incorporated recent occurrence records and climate data and were validated to be powerful predictors of actual occurrences under current conditions. The team then replaced the current climate data with predicted future climate data and computed how species’ distributions would shift if those climate predictions were realized. While the demonstration was done statewide for Texas, it used species that occur in, and are of particular interest to, the Great Plains LCC. In the final report, the researchers describe the use of the ConsNet conservation planning program to produce a portfolio of priority area sets for conservation network planning. Initial results from ConsNet used the models described above to integrate a great diversity of biological knowledge, summarizing it into a baseline starting set of priority areas for management actions based strictly on maximization of representation of biodiversity. Managers and policy makers can then continue analysis and prioritization in Consnet, adding additional factors to the biology-based starting scenario, such as habitat impaction and socioeconomic or ecosystem service cost-benefit parameters. ConsNet can easily and interactively produce large numbers of variations based on diverse criteria, thus providing a large variety of alternatives to consider for potential implementation. “This project has begun to compile the basic historic, current and future species occurrence and environmental data sets the Great Plains LCC will need to perform such analyses for its own geographic scope, perhaps applying the same methodologies, data sets and tools we developed and provided in this project,” says Hendrickson. “We look forward to continuing our work with the Great Plains LCC to build and improve its data resources and tool set to help address the complex issues it will face as it strives to attain its long-term conservation and sustainability objectives.”