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NFC: Fw:



fyi NFC busyness
 

Robert Rice
Save those Fishes,  Join the Native Fish Conservancy
http://www.nativefish.org
Love those gartersnakes? visit
http://gartersnake.net
 
----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Jim Grady <jgrady at uno_edu>
To: robertrice at juno_com
Date: Thu, 05 Oct 2000 16:06:05 -0500
Message-ID: <006101c02f10$132a5ee0$0c3d1e89 at bio_uno.edu>
 
Mr. Rice,
 
I contacted you some time ago, probably nearly a year ago by now, concerning F. cingulatus, F. rubrifrons, F. auroguttatus.  A colleague, Bob Cashner, and I had been working on comparative genetic studies of the morphologically-based hypothesis that several species were encompassed by the name F. cingulatus.  We had collected very strong genetic support for recognizing F. auroguttatus and F. rubrifrons and were hoping to complete our work by increasing our sample sizes slightly, which is what prompted me to contact you.  I learned through the Native Fish Conservancy that you were an expert on the ecology and distribution of these species and had hoped that you could help identify potential collecting localities.
 
What seemed to be a simple project that was destined for rapid completion took an unexpected turn when I decided to investigate alternative genetic markers that are more sensitive to population divergence.  Initially, this second data set confirmed what we had seen with the first.  However, I had difficulty completing the data set; western Florida samples would not sequence.  After manipulating my protocols and finally generating sequences for the western populations, I discovered the source of my problem - something completely unexpected and very exciting.  The western populations are genetically divergent, not to the same degree as Apalachicola vs. peninsular populations but more than would have been expected.
 
To make a long story shorter, we need additional samples, more now than when I first contacted you.  We would greatly appreciate your help in identifying potential collecting localities for these exquisite little killifishes, particularly in the central and western portions of the panhandle and anything around the Suwannee R. drainage basin.
 
Thank you for your assistance.
 
Jim Grady
Dept. of Biological Sciences
University of New Orleans