Identification of non-native population and reconstruction of invasion routes in the Redbreast Sunfish Lepomis auritus

Abstract

Abstract Non-native species pose major threats to native biodiversity and human-mediated introduction of species is expected to increase globally. Lepomis auritus (Redbreast Sunfish), a carnivorous freshwater fish native to rivers in eastern North America, has been introduced far outside of its native range due to its popularity in recreational fisheries. However, poor documentation of introductions and lack of thorough ichthyofaunal surveys before the mid-20th century prevent a confident reconstruction of non-native populations of L. auritus over the past 90 years, resulting in a failure to develop proper invasive species management. Phylogenomic analyses of ddRAD data identify non-native populations of L. auritus that are now abundant in rivers of high conservation priority, which highlights the need for invasive species management for these populations. Our protocols allow for the reconstruction of complicated introduction routes and reveal that L. auritus in Texas is the result of a single-source introduction from the Suwannee River, the population in the upper Tennessee River has two sources of introduction from the Savannah River and the northeastern rivers that drain into the Atlantic Ocean, and the upper Tennessee River and Apalachicola River were the introduction sources for the populations in the middle Tennessee River and the Mobile River Basin. Ecological and evolutionary investigations of the non-native populations of L. auritus will broaden the understanding of biological invasions.