Extremophile Fishes: Ecology, Evolution, Conservation
Tobler Lab at the University of Missouri—St. Louis
We are proud to celebrate four outstanding undergraduate researchers from our lab—Zoe Ellis, Karch Knipp, Allison Lendman, and Kyliah Walker—who represented the University of Missouri–St. Louis at the 2026 Undergraduate Research Day at the Capitol in Jefferson City. This annual…
Pupfishes of the genus Cyprinodon are famous for their ability to survive in some of the harshest freshwater environments in North America. Many species live in isolated desert springs, where small populations persist in habitats that are both fragile and...
In a recent Brief Communication in the Journal of Fish Biology, we describe previously undocumented male mating behaviors in Alfaro huberi, one of two species in the genus Alfaro. Although poeciliid fishes are classic models for sexual selection research, key...
We’re excited to share a new paper published in Biology Letters showing that long-term managed rearing does not erode key physiological tolerances in an extremophile fish. Using Poecilia mexicana from a hydrogen sulfide–rich habitat in southern Mexico, we tested whether...
An article highlighting the collaborative conservation work of our partners at the Missouri Department of Conservation, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and SEMO Grotto was featured on the front page of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The article focuses on...
We recently returned from a trip to Mexico centered around the annual Desert Fishes Council meeting in Cuatrociénegas. The meeting offered a great chance to reconnect with colleagues, hear new research on desert fish ecology, and discuss ongoing conservation challenges...
In late October, we conducted seasonal surveys of Pecos Gambusia at Bitter Lake National Wildlife Refuge in New Mexico with the help of colleagues from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and ABQ BioPark. Over several days, we visited more...
In October, our team joined biologists from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Missouri Department of Conservation, and the SEMO Grotto to continue annual monitoring of the endangered grotto sculpin in Perry County, MO. We surveyed several key caves, including...