Joel D AndersonTexas Parks and Wildlife · Coastal Fisheries
Joel D Anderson
Master of Science
About
49
Publications
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1,159
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Introduction
At the Perry R. Bass Marine Fisheries Research Station (Texas Parks and Wildlife, Coastal Fisheries Division), we conduct investigations of fish population genetics, phylogeography, life history, demographics, parasitism, migration and systematics. We use dissected tissues, fin clips, otoliths, reproductive examinations, and statistical models to elicit key biological parameters that may be useful to fishery biologists and managers.
Additional affiliations
August 2003 - May 2004
January 2002 - April 2004
Education
January 1998 - August 2000
September 1993 - December 1997
Publications
Publications (49)
The Spotted Seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus is a year-round estuarine resident throughout the Gulf of Mexico, a common mid-trophic predator across its range, and one of the most popular game fish in Texas. In 1998, the Texas Parks and Wildlife department initiated long-term collections of otoliths from Spotted Seatrout encountered in fishery-independe...
A recent increase in the abundance of snook species (Centropomus sp.) in Texas has been generally associated with a broad‐scale warming trend of Texas’ inshore waters, closure of the commercial fishery in 1987, and fairly conservative restrictions on recreational catch implemented at the same time. Despite this observed increase in abundance, littl...
The eastern oyster (Crassostrea virginica Gmelin) is an economically and ecologically valuable marine bivalve occurring in the Gulf of Mexico. This study builds upon previous research that identified two divergent populations of eastern oysters in the western Gulf of Mexico. Allelic and genotypic patterns from 11 microsatellite markers were used to...
Knowledge of cross-transmission and hybridization between parasites of humans and reservoir hosts is critical for understanding the evolution of the parasite and for implementing control programmes. There is now a consensus that populations of pig and human Ascaris (roundworms) show significant genetic subdivision. However, it is unclear whether th...
The muroid rodents are the largest superfamily of mammals, containing nearly one third of all mammal species. We report on a phylogenetic study comprising 53 genera sequenced for four nuclear genes, GHR, BRCA1, RAG1, and c-myc, totaling up to 6400 nucleotides. Most relationships among the subfamilies are resolved. All four genes yield nearly identi...
The species-level taxonomy of fat snooks (Centropomus parallelus and Centropomus mexicanus), which are distributed in coastal waters from Florida to Brazil and parts of the Gulf of Mexico, was explored with mitochondrial DNA 16S rRNA and cytochrome c oxidase subunit 1 sequencing and multilocus microsatellite DNA genotyping. The existence of a novel...
Two species of ladyfish occur in the Gulf of Mexico (GOM), Elops saurus and Elops smithi, that are morphologically indistinguishable except for vertebral counts but can also be identified by mitochondrial DNA haplotypes. Here we expand on previous work, most of which has occurred in Florida, and examine the demography, phylogenetics, geographic dis...
Recent population expansion of Gray Snapper, Lutjanus griseus, in the northern Gulf of Mexico is driving increasing catch in the recreational fishery in Texas. We assessed long term trends in distribution and abundance of Gray Snapper in Texas using fishery dependent and fishery independent data collected by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department...
The Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus) supports a valuable commercial fishery in Texas waters. Several regulatory tools are used to manage the catch of Blue Crab including the use of escape rings, which are designed to allow for the escapement of undersized crabs. In this study, we first examined the relationship between carapace width (CW) and carapa...
The eastern oyster Crassostrea virginica is a commercially and ecologically important organism found throughout the western North Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico. Morphological differences in shell shape of eastern oysters are known to arise from environmental, genetic, and husbandry-related factors. Here, live eastern oysters were collected from 17 si...
The Black Drum Pogonias cromis is an abundant estuarine-dependent fish that supports recreational and commercial fisheries. We examined the phylogeography and historical demography of the Black Drum along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coasts of the United States using mitochondrial DNA sequences and nuclear DNA microsatellites. Black Drum exhibit...
Shrimp black gill is an emerging disease caused by a parasitic ciliate, Hyalophysa lynni, that attacks gill tissue in white shrimp Litopenaeus setiferus and brown shrimp Farfantepenaeus aztecus and induces an immune response that produces melanized tissue in shrimp gills. This immune response causes necrosis and damage in shrimp gill tissue, which...
White spot syndrome virus (WSSV) is a virulent disease that disrupts shrimp farm operations throughout the world. While the United States has had only limited outbreaks of WSSV within the past several decades, it is important to ensure that this disease does not infect wild penaeid shrimp populations. In Texas, there is a potential for WSSV to spre...
Tripletail (Lobotes surinamensis) is a pelagic fish species that
are distributed globally throughout tropical and temperate
waters, except for the eastern Pacific Ocean. Little is known
about the distribution, abundance, movements, or habits of
this species in Texas. Between 1990-2019, there have been
782 tripletail captured in TPWD gill nets on th...
The Black Drum is a year‐round resident in estuarine and near‐shore habitats throughout the Gulf of Mexico, and is common in Texas. Multiple studies have highlighted life history and demographic variation in this species among estuaries, and tagging studies conducted in Texas suggest limited migration between adjacent estuaries. While these finding...
Brevoortia Gill 1861 is a genus of the Clupeidae (Teleostei) that includes six species of fishes commonly known as menhadens in eastern North America and “savelhas” or “saracas” in southeastern South America. Species of Brevoortia are important components of the marine food web of coastal ecosystems in the Atlantic and contribute significantly to f...
The geographic structure of marine fish populations is an important element used in defining stock units, and genetic data have historically been used for this purpose. Here, genetic data were used to elicit population genomic patterns for Atlantic Croakers Micropogonias undulatus collected at five locations in the Gulf of Mexico (hereafter, "Gulf"...
Atlantic croaker (Micropogonias undulatus) are one of the more common finfishes in the Gulf of Mexico. They are a significant component of Gulf bait fisheries and an important midtrophic component of nearshore food webs. In this study, life-history parameters associated with growth, maturity, and seasonal migration were estimated for Atlantic croak...
The Blue Crab Callinectes sapidus is an economically important shellfish found in the Gulf of Mexico and elsewhere. Recent declines in abundance of this species have driven progressive management actions throughout its range, including protection of spawning females by establishing “no-take” zones on the Atlantic coast. To date, no-take zones have...
The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department red drum (Sciaenops ocellatus) stock enhancement program is one of the largest and most recognized stock enhancement programs in North America. A primary objective of the program is to maximize the effective population size (Ne) of hatchery-released populations. This objective is primarily accomplished by rot...
Reduction of genetic diversity can occur at two general phases in stock enhancement: spawning and pond culture. In the latter case, reduction in genetic diversity can take place if mortality impacts family groups disproportionately during pond culture. The stock enhancement program developed by the Texas Parks and Wildlife for Red Drum Sciaenops oc...
Inland (Menidia beryllina) and tidewater silversides (M. peninsulae) are the most common of the Menidia fishes along the Texas coast, USA. Though genetically distinct, these species are morphologically very similar and often segregate by salinity with M. beryllina occupying fresh to brackish salinities and M. peninsulae occupying brackish to oceani...
Gulf Menhaden Brevoortia patronus is one of the most intensively fished organisms in the Gulf of Mexico. Fishery managers and industry operators have historically worked towards a sustainable fishery and have cooperated on stock assessments to estimate feasible reference points for management. These stock assessments are necessarily rooted in a str...
There is a great deal of interest in marine turtle biology. This is due in part to the positive emotional response generally elicited by seeing a marine turtle, but also to their place as keystone species in many marine systems across the world. One species of marine turtle, the Green Turtle (Chelonia mydas) is quickly increasing in abundance in Te...
The quality of individuals released from fish culture facilities for stock enhancement can affect success in achieving management goals. However, the quality of released individuals is not always known, and neither are the various aspects of aquaculture that influence fish quality. Quality or body condition at multiple life stages may be influenced...
Extensive culture of larval Red Drum Sciaenops ocellatus in outdoor ponds occasionally results in low survival, thereby stifling stock enhancement goals. Mortality is probably tied to multiple environmental influences rather than to any singular factor. We assessed factors influencing Red Drum mortality and survival in the context of an extensive a...
Long-term sustainable management of wild populations should be based on management actions that account for the genetic structure among populations. Knowledge of genetic structure and of the degree of demographic exchange between discreet populations allows managers to better define management units. However, adequate gene loci for population asses...
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The Alligator Gar Atractosteus spatula is currently imperiled due to habitat alterations and overharvest within much of this species’ range. Recent interest in improving management for this species within the USA and Mexico has spurred new creel restrictions, spawning area closures, and stocking programs, along with increased research on life histo...
Chelonia mydas(Green Turtle) foraging areas, where juveniles, subadults, and adults of diverse natal origins coalesce and spend a large portion of their lives, can be located thousands of kilometers from nesting beaches. Unfortunately, the natal origin of turtles in many foraging areas remains unknown. Resolution of this issue was recently listed a...
The southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma is a marine flatfish that ranges from North Carolina to the Yucatan Peninsula in the Gulf of Mexico. Management of southern flounder will be improved by proper delineation of management units based on genetic data. We used microsatellite DNA markers to determine how many populations exist across the sp...
The southern flounder Paralichthys lethostigma is a key species in recreational flatfish fisheries in the Gulf of Mexico and the northwestern Atlantic Ocean. Effective management of this species relies on knowing how many populations occur within the range of the species, as knowledge of the underlying genetic structure may be used in stock assessm...
We conducted cross-sectional surveys of parasites infecting a large free-living colony of baboons at the Southwest National Primate Research Center in San Antonio in October 2003 and April 2004, immediately before, and 6 mo after, treatment with ivermectin. Trichuris sp. was the predominant species present, infecting 79 and 69% of individual animal...
Macroparasite infections (e.g., helminths) remain a major human health concern. However, assessing transmission dynamics is problematic because the direct observation of macroparasite dispersal among hosts is not possible. We used a novel landscape genetics approach to examine transmission of the human roundworm Ascaris lumbricoides in a small huma...
The grass carp Ctenopharyngodon idella is used widely in aquaculture for aquatic weed control. Historically, concern about the proliferative growth of nonnative diploid grass carp populations led to development of the hydrostatic pressure shock technique for the production of sterile triploids. Despite the success of this technique in accomplishing...
A geospatial database of spotted seatrout (Cynoscion nebulosus) abundance along the Texas shoreline was generated, using 33 years of intensive gill net sampling data by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The resulting landscape demographic data was used to identify areas of low individual abundance, which were evaluated as putative subpopulat...
The spotted seatrout Cynoscion nebulosus is one of the most intensively managed finfishes in the Gulf of Mexico, due primarily to its importance as a sport fish species throughout its range. As a result, genetic divergence and patterns of gene flow have previously been assessed among designated populations of spotted seatrout by using various types...
The evolutionary associations between closely related fish species, both contemporary and historical, are frequently assessed by using molecular markers, such as microsatellites. Here, the presence and variability of microsatellite loci in two closely related species of marine fishes, sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius) and silver seatrout (C. noth...
Sand seatrout (Cynoscion arenarius) and silver seatrout (C. nothus) are both found within the immediate offshore areas of the Gulf of Mexico, especially around Texas; however information is limited on how much distributional overlap really occurs between these species. In order to investigate spatial and seasonal differences between species, we ana...
The null hypothesis that blue crabs which enter typical commercial-style baited traps are random draws from populations with equal sex ratios and physical characteristics was evaluated. Trap demographic data (sex, size and number of crabs) were collected during ten single-day trials comprising six traps each (→ = 60) over a 3-week period in April 2...
Strategies for conservation and management of marine species are increasingly relying on molecular genetic data for the delineation of independent fishery stocks. These data may be more reliable and less subjective than morphological or ecological variables, although their biological interpretations can be problematic. Here, we review existing morp...
Evolutionary associations among the four North American species of menhadens (Brevoortia spp.) have not been thoroughly investigated. In the present study, classifications separating the four species into small-scaled and large-scaled groups were evaluated by using DNA data, and genetic associations within these groups were explored. Specifically,...
Hybridization between the North American menhadens Brevoortia smithi, Brevoortia tyrannus and Brevoortia patronus has been reported by numerous authors, based primarily on the morphological intermediacy of hybrids relative to each parental type. In this study, genetic characterization of individuals in areas previously designated as hybrid zones va...
We describe 35 microsatellite markers from the human parasitic nematode Ascaris lumbricoides. We found 7 sex-linked markers and demonstrate that 26 autosomal loci can be scored reliably. These markers have high genetic variability and provide the tools to address multiple questions concerning the epidemiology, fine-scale genetic structure, host spe...
Gulf menhaden Brevoortia patronus, the main target of a commercial fishing industry in the Gulf of Mexico, and finescale menhaden Brevoortia gunteri, a non-targeted congeneric, have historically been difficult to differentiate. In this study, meristic counts resulted in two of three characteristics that clearly distinguished species, and genetic di...
The common pill bug, Armadillidium vulgare, is known to harbour two distinct strains of the feminizing proteobacteria Wolbachia. In order to study the effect of the presence of Wolbachia on the evolution of A. vulgare populations, we developed and characterized a set of nine polymorphic microsatellite loci from two microsatellite-enriched genomic l...
Females of many invertebrates contain stored sperm or fertilized eggs or both, causing potential genotyping errors. We investigated errors caused by male DNA contamination by amplifying 5 microsatellites in DNA isolated from various tissue types in the nematode Ascaris lumbricoides. We observed additional alleles in 30/135 uterus-derived samples wh...
Highly variable molecular markers, such as microsatellite DNAs, are revolutionizing wildlife ecology and management. However, widespread use of this technology is hindered by the lack of detailed information on properties of published marker sets in different wildlife populations. Thus, it is difficult to initiate and plan studies using these marke...
Nuclear microsatellite DNA loci have proven useful for the establishment of parentage, determination of relationships among individuals in a population, estimation of gene flow patterns among populations, and examination of geographic variation throughout the range of a species. These loci have considerable potential for managers interested in the...
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Projects (4)
Atlantic croaker are one of the more common finfishes in the Gulf of Mexico. They are a significant component of Gulf bait fisheries and an important mid-trophic component of near-shore food webs. In this study, life history parameters associated with growth, maturity, and seasonal migration were estimated for Atlantic croaker in Texas, and integrated into previously described data throughout the rest of the species range. The major findings of this work were: (1) a majority (> 76%) of age-1 female Atlantic croaker were sexually mature, (2) egress of adults from inshore habitats took place in late fall (October/November) in consecutive years (2002 and 2003), (3) egress of adults was predictably coincident with declining growth after age-1 and the onset of sexual maturity, and (4) ingress of juvenile Atlantic croaker into inshore nursery grounds began in early winter and progressed through early summer, but a majority of recruits appeared in a short span between February - April. Seasonal patterns of migration of both adult and juvenile Atlantic croaker are consistent with those described in other parts of the species’ range, and imply offshore spawning in the fall and winter followed by year-round inshore development of post-larvae and juveniles. Given the importance of inshore residency of juvenile Atlantic croaker, abundance estimates from fishery-independent sampling were scaled up to system-wide estimates of juvenile abundance in two prominent Texas estuaries, and used to qualitatively assess the potential impacts of the commercial fishery on the inshore segment of the population.
To determine the biological factors involved with successful pond culture of red drum, with success defined as high rate of return from larval stage to fingerling stage.
