Open AccessOf Paleo-Genes and Perch: What if an “Alien” Is Actually a Native?
Author(s) -
J. Curt Stager,
Lee Ann Sporn,
M. C. Johnson,
Sean A. Regalado
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
plos one
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.99
H-Index - 332
ISSN - 1932-6203
DOI - 10.1371/journal.pone.0119071
Subject(s) - perch , introduced species , taxon , biodiversity , alien , ecosystem , ecology , invasive species , biology , geography , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , population , demography , sociology , census
Documenting whether a biotic taxon is native or alien to an ecosystem has theoretical value for ecological and evolutionary studies, and has practical value because it can potentially identify a taxon as a desirable component of an ecosystem or target it for removal. In some cases, however, such background information is inadequate or unavailable. Here we use paleo-DNA to re-evaluate the historical status of yellow perch in the 6 million acre Adirondack State Park of northern New York. Yellow perch DNA in a 2200-year sediment record reveals a long-term native status for these supposedly alien fish and challenges assumptions that they necessarily exclude native trout from upland lakes. Similar approaches could be applied to other species with uncertain historical distributions and could help to identify unrecognized pockets of biodiversity.