Hybridization between blacktail and red shiners in the Paluxy River - Allison Love

Introduced populations of red shiners readily hybridize with congeners and have displaced many of the native cyprinids. Red shiners have been introduced into at least five drainages in the Southeastern United States and have proven to be very successful at establishing populations throughout the region. Much of the red shiner’s success is a direct result of their tolerance to harsh conditions (e.g., low flow and high turbidity) and ability to quickly colonize degraded habitats. The overall goal of this study is to examine the degree to which hybridization between red and blacktail shiners occurs in the Paluxy River and Bosque River.   If hybridization between the invasive red shiner and native blacktail shiner occur in a relatively intact habitat such as the Paluxy River, this could highlight the danger of losing native species in harsher, more disturbed rivers such as the Bosque. Identifying hybrids will be done using a genetic technique called Amplified Fragment Length Polymorphism. Preliminary data shows a 94% success rate of distinguishing among red shiner, blacktail shiner and hybrids. This project will be the first examination of hybridization between red shiners and blacktail shiners in a relatively undisturbed system in relation to a disturbed system.