Developing the Bluntnose Minnow (Pimephales notatus) as a Model for Studying Genomic Responses of Freshwater Species to Urban Environments

Freshwater ecosystems provide fundamentally important resources for society.  Nevertheless, these systems are experiencing multiple impacts from human activities, including effects from land use alterations and climate change. Urban areas represent a nexus of these stressors where urbanization and increasing air temperatures are negatively impacting water quality and decreasing suitable habitat for freshwater biodiversity. While the conservation of biodiversity in urban areas is critical, species in urban systems can also serve as models for understanding ecological and evolutionary responses to rapid environmental change.  The bluntnose minnow (Pimephales notatus) is a fish species which occurs across the central United States and is common in St. Louis rivers and streams.  For this project, we will develop genetic resources that will allow us to use the bluntnose minnow as a model to study responses of freshwater biodiversity to recent environmental changes. Using these resources, we will also generate preliminary data to determine whether bluntnose minnows from urban areas respond differently to elevated temperature and chloride compared to populations from more rural areas. This project is co-funded by Saint Louis University.

Research Team

Jason Knouft, Saint Louis University
Wesley Warren, WashU (McDonnell Genome Institute, School of Medicine)