Science Café: Pollution and NC's Tiniest Fish

Least Killifish, Heterandria formosa, Image from NCFishes.com Grab a bite from the Daily Planet Café and join host Chris Smith for our monthly Science Café. Gather with other curious minds at this after-hours event for an informal presentation and conversation about current science topics with guest experts. The Daily Planet Café is open 5–8pm with a full menu during the Science Café. Join us in-person or watch the livestream on YouTube. Tonight’s Topic Tonight at the Science Café, we’ll hear from Dr. Alexandra Duffy at NC State University who is studying our tiniest fish to learn about genetic diversity and their adaptions in response to pollution in the lower Cape Fear River system. The Cape Fear River is North Carolina’s largest river system and the most industrialized in the state. Living in the Lower Cape Fear River is North Carolina’s tiniest fish, the least killifish. This fish is one of the smallest vertebrates in the world to give birth to live young, reaching a maximum total length of only 36 mm (1.4 inches). The least killifishis only found in Pender, New Hanover, and Brunswick counties. Officials listed the least killifish as a state Special Concern species because of its limited distribution and the potential human impacts upon their habitats and stream water quality. Tonight’s Expert Dr. Alexandra (Alli) Duffy is an Assistant Research Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at North Carolina State University. Her research integrates evolutionary biology, animal behavior, sensory ecology, and environmental health. Her lab investigates how selective pressures, such as predation, competition, and pollution, shape phenotypic and genetic diversity within and among populations.