Very interesting, Shireen! I for one would like to read more on this.
Where did you read this information? How many fish did they transfer to
this refugium? I wonder what pressures are acting on the different
populations to cause this? I had thought the habitats were similar and that
there weren't any predators. Population numbers of this fish naturally
fluctuate during the year because of food (algae) availability, so I wonder
if food has something to do with this.
For people who don't know, these refugia are concrete and kept covered to
mimic the dark underground habitat of the pupfish. One end is very deep
because Devils Hole pupfish have been found at great depths (over 500 feet
or so) in their natural habitat. There are three refugia in total. Two are
near Devils Hole and the third is at Hoover Dam. Refugia population counts
are made by SCUBA divers.
Jay DeLong
Olympia, WA
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