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The greater amberjack (Seriola dumerili) is a commercially and recreationally important marine fish species in the southeastern United States, where it has been historically managed as two non-mixing stocks (Gulf of Mexico and Atlantic). Mark-recapture studies and analysis of mitochondrial DNA have suggested the two stocks are demographically independent; however, little is currently known about when and where spawning occurs in Gulf of Mexico amberjack, and whether stock mixture occurs on breeding grounds. The primary objective of this study was to quantify stock mixture among breeding populations of amberjack collected from the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Genetic data based on 11 loci identified very low, though statistically significant differentiation among Gulf of Mexico samples (GST = 0.007, \\[G_ST^ \\] = 0.009; all P = 0.001) and between reproductive adults collected from two spawning areas (GST = 0.007, \\[G_ST^ \\] = 0.014; all P = 0.001). Naïve Bayesian mixture analysis supported a single genetic cluster [p(S|data) = 0.734] whereas trained clustering (using Atlantic and Gulf spawning fish) gave the highest support to a two-cluster model (p(S|data) = 1.0). Our results support the argument that the genetic structuring of greater amberjack is more complex than the previously assumed two, non-mixing stock model. Although our data provide evidence of limited population structure, we argue in favour of non-panmixia among reproductive fish collected from the Gulf of Mexico and Florida Keys.

A certain level of genetic diversity and connectivity between populations is necessary to allow small populations to persist over time. In this study, we investigate the last two populations of the highly endangered Miami blue butterfly, one of which was extirpated in 2010. We investigate whether an erosion of genetic diversity was the cause for the extirpation of the Bahia Honda State Park (BHSP) population. As the level of existing molecular diversity within and gene flow between the last two populations of the endangered Miami blue butterfly was unknown, we present data from twelve polymorphic microsatellite loci as an assessment. We show that greater genetic diversity (allelic richness and observed heterozygosity) than originally predicted existed in the BHSP population prior to its extirpation and values were even greater in the Key West National Wildlife Refuge population. Allelic frequencies show short-range gene flow between neighboring habitat patches and underline the importance of habitat connectivity. It does not appear that loss of genetic diversity was the cause for the loss of the BHSP population. Greater consideration of habitat connectivity should be considered for short and long-term conservation and management of this taxon.

The effective population size (Ne) is a critical evolutionary and conservation parameter that can indicate the adaptive potential of populations. Robust estimates of Ne of endangered taxa have been previously hampered by estimators that are sensitive to sample size. We estimated Ne on two remaining populations of the endangered Miami blue butterfly, a formerly widespread taxon in Florida. Our goal was to determine the consistency of various temporal and point estimators on inferring Ne and to determine the utility of this information for understanding the role of genetic stochasticity. We found that recently developed ‘unbiased estimators’ generally performed better than some older methods in that the former had more realistic Ne estimates and were more consistent with what is known about adult population size. Overall, Ne/N ratios based on census point counts were high. We suggest that this pattern may reflect genetic compensation caused by reduced reproductive variance due to breeding population size not being limited by resources. Assuming Ne and N are not heavily biased, it appears that the lack of gene flow between distant populations may be a greater genetic threat in the short term than the loss of heterozygosity due to inbreeding.

We present 21 microsatellite loci developed for Florida salt marsh voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus dukecampbelli). Microsatellites were identified from single molecule real time sequencing (Pacific Biosciences). We screened 30 loci and identified 21 loci as suitable for genotyping. We screened 17 individuals from Long Cabbage Key, and 3 individuals from an unnamed island. There was no significant departure from Hardy–Weinberg equilibrium or linkage equilibrium. Fifteen of the 21 loci were variable, with overall observed heterozygosity averaging 0.39, and a mean number of alleles of 3.14. Linkage disequilibrium estimate of N ₑ was 10.7 (95 % CI 6.1–20.1). These markers will be useful for conservation genetics studies of this endangered species.

Historical, anecdotal records of the state-endangered Miami blue butterfly, Cyclargus thomasi bethunebakeri (Comstock & Huntington) (Lepidoptera), have mentioned larval associations with the Florida carpenter ant, Camponotus sp. Recent population studies confirm that C. t. bethunebakeri larvae associate with Camponotus floridanus (Buckley) as well as another member of the genus, Camponotus planatus (Roger). Additionally, caterpillars have been observed tended by Crematogaster ashmeadi (Emery), Forelius pruinosus (Roger), and Tapinoma melanocephalum (Fab.). Field surveys of remaining Miami blue habitat and recent butterfly reintroduction sites reveal other potential ant associates, Paratrechina longicornis (Latreille) and Paratrechina bourbonica (Forel), and a host of possible predaceous ant species. The corresponding conservation implications are discussed. Detailed information is also presented about larval ant-associated organs and their mediation of this facultative symbiosis.

Personality traits describe stable differences in how individuals think, feel, and behave and how they interact with and experience their social and physical environments. We assemble data from 46 cohorts including 611K-1.14M participants with European-like and African-like genomes for genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of the Big Five personality traits (extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, and openness to experience), and data from 51K participants for within-family GWAS. We identify 1,257 lead genetic variants associated with personality, including 823 novel variants. Common genetic variants explain 4.8%-9.3% of the variance in each trait, and 10.5%-16.2% accounting for measurement unreliability. Genetic effects on personality are highly consistent across geography, reporter (self vs. close other), age group, and measurement instrument, and we find minimal spousal assortment for personality in recent history. In stark contrast to many other social and behavioral traits, within-family GWAS and polygenic index analyses indicate little to no shared environmental confounding in genetic associations with personality. Polygenic prediction, genetic correlation, and Mendelian randomization analyses indicate that personality genetics have widespread, potentially causal associations with a wide range of consequential behaviors and life outcomes. The genetic architecture of personality is robust and fundamental to being a human.