7717

• UCREFRP Catalog Number: 7717
• Author: Rosenfeld, M. J.
• Title: Genetic Analysis of the Colorado River Gila
• USFW Year: n.d.
• USFW - Doc Type: Non-fatal Sampling, Cell Culture, Chromosomal Analysis and Electrophoresis.
• Copyright Material: NO

a fast way to identify a large number of individuals.

The known

sample could be protein homogenate from a stock held at the

Dexter National Fish Hatchery,

e.g., the bony tail chubs derived

from Lake Mojave brood stock.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study indicate that it is possible to

discretely identify individual Gila on the Colorado River using

criteria other than external anatomy.

The use of cytogenetic and

electrophoretic methodologies does not require sacrifice of

specimens since both protocols are achievable through biopsy of a

small amounts of tissue~

a necessary criterion for genetic wo~k

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on endangered ~ishes.

This study represents the first.t~me

that samples for fish tissue culture were obtained and stored

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under field conditions, let -alone without the sacrifice,of

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individuals. Since .cytogenetic and, for the most part, electro-

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phoretic c~aracter states are age independent, these allow

the identification of immature or otherwise morphologically

similar specimens.

Although LDH is usable for not only species identifications

but also hybrid detection~ it wbuld be much more preferable that

more than one protein type be available as discriminators.

This

would strengthen the validity of an identification since multi-

protein criteria would permit detection of hybrid genomes beyond

the F2 level. A single protein critierion will permIt statements