PVAS Talk This Weekend, Oct. 6

I've been strangely distracted for almost two months since the last post. But, this weekend, Saturday Oct. 6, I'll be doing an invited talk at the Potomac Valley Aquarium Society in Fairfax, Virginia. The topic is broadly Stream Ecology, but in particular I'll look at what factors can shape the diversity of fish species in two very different stream systems - Sipsey Fork in north Alabama, and the lower Congo River in Africa. It's a big topic for a 45 minute talk but I think I have it all boiled down. Also, Kelly and Stefanie are presenting a poster on our silver shiner research at the Southeastern Fisheries Council meeting in New Orleans on Nov. 8 and 9. We have over a year's worth of data now, and the big news is that the Flint River population of silver shiners spawns in February/March, while the other at all well-studied population in Ontario spawns in May/June. Water temperature seems to be a major cue, not surprisingly, and of course spring comes later in Ontario than Alabama. It should be good. Just for fun, here's a photo of a male scarlet shiner from Limestone Creek about 8 years ago, I don't think I ever posted it here.