Littoral zones of lentic systems are important nursery habitats for age-0 fish as they provide foraging habitat and refuge from predation. While local habitat characteristics in a lake's littoral zone can affect abundances, mean lengths, and trophic interactions of age-0 fish, lake-scale characteristics may also influence these factors. Given that local and lake-scale characteristics are probably related, it may be difficult to interpret perceived associations between habitat characteristics and fish population metrics, as well as elucidate consequences of anthropogenic alterations of habitat. We used classification and regression tree (CART) analysis to evaluate relationships between local and lake-scale habitat characteristics, abundances, and mean lengths of age-0 Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides and Bluegills Lepomis macrochirus collected from glacial lakes in northern Indiana during 2009 and 2010. We also evaluated habitat influences on stomach contents of age-0 Largemouth Bass. Our results suggest there are complex, multiscale interactions among habitat characteristics and population and diet metrics of age-0 fish. Site-specific abundances of both fishes were most strongly associated with local-scale characteristics (e.g., high densities of Bluegills at sites with dense submerged vegetation), while mean lengths were associated with lake-scale characteristics (e.g., greater mean length of age-0 Bluegills and Largemouth Bass in small, shallow lakes). Diet composition of age-0 Largemouth Bass was strongly related to individual fish length, though local (e.g., percent coverage by vegetation) and lake-scale (e.g., lake depth) habitat characteristics also affected the type of prey consumed. We suggest that managers consider both local and lake-scale features when undertaking habitat improvement activities, selecting stocking locations, or otherwise jointly managing habitat and age-0 lentic fish populations.

Chronic-wasting disease (CWD) is a prion-derived fatal neurodegenerative disease that has affected wild cervid populations on a global scale. Susceptibility has been linked unambiguously to several amino acid variants within the prion protein gene (PRNP). Quantifying their distribution across landscapes can provide critical information for agencies attempting to adaptively manage CWD. Here we attempt to further define management implications of PRNP polymorphism by quantifying the contemporary geographic distribution (i.e., phylogeography) of PRNP variants in hunter-harvested white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus, N = 1433) distributed across Arkansas (USA), including a focal spot for CWD since detection of the disease in February 2016. Of these, PRNP variants associated with the well-characterized 96S non-synonymous substitution showed a significant increase in relative frequency among older CWD-positive cohorts. We interpreted this pattern as reflective of a longer life expectancy for 96S genotypes in a CWDendemic region, suggesting either decreased probabilities of infection or reduced disease progression. Other variants showing statistical signatures of potential increased susceptibility, however, seemingly reflect an artefact of population structure. We also showed marked heterogeneity across the landscape in the prevalence of 'reduced susceptibility' genotypes. This may indicate, in turn, that differences in disease susceptibility among WTD in Arkansas are an innate, populationlevel characteristic that is detectable through phylogeographic analysis.

Approximately 100 years ago, unregulated harvest nearly eliminated white‐tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) from eastern North America, which subsequently served to catalyze wildlife management as a national priority. An extensive stock‐replenishment effort soon followed, with deer broadly translocated among states as a means of re‐establishment. However, an unintended consequence was that natural patterns of gene flow became obscured and pretranslocation signatures of population structure were replaced. We applied cutting‐edge molecular and biogeographic tools to disentangle genetic signatures of historical management from those reflecting spatially heterogeneous dispersal by evaluating 35,099 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) derived via reduced‐representation genomic sequencing from 1143 deer sampled statewide in Arkansas. We then employed Simpson's diversity index to summarize ancestry assignments and visualize spatial genetic transitions. Using sub‐sampled transects across these transitions, we tested clinal patterns across loci against theoretical expectations of their response under scenarios of re‐colonization and restricted dispersal. Two salient results emerged: (A) Genetic signatures from historic translocations are demonstrably apparent; and (B) Geographic filters (major rivers; urban centers; highways) now act as inflection points for the distribution of this contemporary ancestry. These results yielded a statewide assessment of contemporary population structure in deer as driven by historic translocations as well as ongoing processes. In addition, the analytical framework employed herein to effectively decipher extant/historic drivers of deer distribution in Arkansas is also applicable for other biodiversity elements with similarly complex demographic histories.

Suwannee Bass Micropterus notius are a riverine species inhabiting a restricted range within the states of Florida and Georgia. However, little is known about exploitation of Suwannee Bass, which are currently managed in Florida under a single harvest regulation with black basses (genus Micropterus). Regional exploitation of Suwannee Bass in Florida has never been examined in comparison with Largemouth Bass Micropterus salmoides, though such a comparison would allow fisheries managers to assess the efficacy of the current regulation. We estimated regionwide exploitation of both Suwannee Bass and Largemouth Bass in rivers, as facilitated via high‐reward ($100), plastic‐tipped dart tags. In fall 2013, we tagged 108 legal‐sized Suwannee Bass (≥305 mm) across 7 rivers and 160 legal‐sized Largemouth Bass across 10 rivers in northern Florida. At the end of 1 year, we found that exploitation rates of Suwannee Bass (0.15) and Largemouth Bass (0.10) in rivers were similar. These estimates were also similar to estimates of Largemouth Bass exploitation in lakes across northern and central Florida. Received October 30, 2015; accepted March 31, 2016 Published online July 20, 2016