Biogeography of the deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii), a Nearctic glacial relict

Abstract

Although the freshwater fish fauna of North America is relatively well studied, the biogeography of the deepwater sculpin ( Myoxocephalus thompsonii (Girard, 1851)) remains poorly understood. Collections of the species are limited, both because of its relatively remote distribution and because its habitat at the bottom of very deep lakes presents considerable logistic challenges for sampling. To investigate the biogeography of the deepwater sculpin, we conducted a range-wide (excluding the Laurentian Great Lakes) survey for the species between May and October 2004. Deepwater sculpin were collected using a variety of sampling gears, including a trap that was specifically designed to capture the species. We hypothesized that deepwater sculpin would be found only in areas that were formerly occupied by glacial lakes or the Champlain Sea. We reconstructed the historical boundaries of these water bodies and found that nearly all lakes where deepwater sculpin were collected, including four new localities, were within those limits. Conversely, the species was not detected in sampled lakes that were beyond these boundaries. Our results clarify the distribution and biogeography of the deepwater sculpin and strengthen the view that the current distribution of the species was mediated by dispersal through glacial lakes and the Champlain Sea.

Feeding selectivity of slimy sculpin Cottus cognatus and deepwater sculpin Myoxocephalus thompsonii in southeast Lake Michigan: Implications for species coexistence

“…Selection for Diporeia was not always greater for slimy sculpin than for deepwater sculpin despite the historical dominance of this prey in the diets of Great Lakes slimy sculpin (Wells, 1980;Brandt, 1986;Selgeby, 1988;Owens and Weber, 1995). In contrast to deepwater sculpin, which are found only in a handful of cold-water lakes containing glacial relic prey such as Diporeia and/or Mysis (Sheldon et al, 2008), slimy sculpin have a broad North American distribution and are found in many cold-water ecosystems that do not contain Diporeia (Scott and Crossman, 1998). This suggests that slimy sculpin may not have co-evolved with its primary Great Lakes prey or that they have sacrificed trophic specialization for the ability to exploit a variety of invertebrate prey across a wide range of ecosystems.…”

Importance of karst sinkholes in preserving relict, mountain, and wet-woodland plant species under sub-Mediterranean climate: A case study from southern Hungary

“…Articles and books focusing on climate change have appeared (e.g., Iverson and Prasad, 1998;Sagarin et al, 1999;Cowie, 2007), and a rapidly increasing amount of information is available about current and potential refuge areas (e.g., Kö hn and Waterstraat, 1990;Schindler et al, 1996;Sheldon et al, 2008) where many species may survive unfavorable regional environmental conditions. During glacial periods, a major part of Europe was largely covered by cold habitats, and only cold-adapted species were able to survive under these extreme conditions (Habel et al, 2010).…”

Fall diet and bathymetric distribution of deepwater sculpin (Myoxocephalus thompsonii) in Lake Huron

“…Populations of deepwater sculpin in North America are restricted exclusively to waters in Canada, the Laurentian Great Lakes and possibly Torch Lake, MI (Scott and Crossman, 1973). Outside the Laurentian Great Lakes, the geographic distribution of deepwater sculpin appears to be confined to lakes encompassed by former glacial lake boundaries or the Champlain Sea (Sheldon et al, 2008). Deepwater sculpin historically inhabited all the Laurentian Great Lakes, but large populations are now restricted to Lakes Michigan, Superior, and Huron (Eshenroder andKrueger, 2002, COSEWIC, 2006).…”