Evaluating the utility of effective breeding size estimates for monitoring sea lamprey spawning abundance

Ellen M. Weise; Kim T Scribner; Olivia Boeberitz; Gale Bravener; Nicholas S. Johnson; John D Robinson

doi:10.1002/ece3.10519

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Evaluating the utility of effective breeding size estimates for monitoring sea lamprey spawning abundance

Ellen M. Weise·Kim T Scribner·Olivia Boeberitz·Gale Bravener·Nicholas S. Johnson·John D Robinson

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Abstract

Sea lamprey ( Petromyzon marinus ) is an invasive species that is a significant source of mortality for populations of valued fish species across the North American Great Lakes. Large annual control programs are needed to reduce the species' impacts; however, the number of successfully spawning adults cannot currently be accurately assessed. In this study, effective breeding size ( N b ) and the minimum number of spawning adults ( N s ) were estimated for larval cohorts from 17 tributaries across all five Great Lakes using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP) genotyped via RAD-capture sequencing. Reconstructed larval pedigrees showed substantial variability in the size and number of full- and half-sibling groups, N b (<1–367), and N s (5–545) among streams. Generalized linear models examining the effects of stream environmental characteristics and aspects of sampling regimes on N b and N s estimates identified sample size, the number of sampling sites, and drainage area as important factors predicting N b and N s . Correlations between N b , N s , and capture–mark–recapture estimates of adult census size ( N c ) increased when streams with small sample sizes ( n < 50) were removed. Results collectively indicate that parameters estimated from genetic data can provide valuable information on spawning adults in a river system, especially if sampling regimes are standardized and physical stream covariates are included.

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Ecology and Evolution Article

Source-reported bounding extent: 40.53246067671668° to 50.52903522042337° latitude; -94.82993428964204° to -75.230324914642° longitude. This indicates report coverage, not an exact sampling location. View area on OpenStreetMap.

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Ellen M. Weise, Kim T Scribner, Olivia Boeberitz, Gale Bravener, Nicholas S. Johnson, John D Robinson. 2023-09-20. Evaluating the utility of effective breeding size estimates for monitoring sea lamprey spawning abundance. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.10519

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