What We Do

The mission of the San Marcos Aquatic Resources Center is to support conservation efforts through applied research on species that are endangered, threatened, and at risk. The center is a refugium 鈥 or safe harbor 鈥 for endangered species. Major consideration is placed on assessment of biological issues related to the springs of the Edwards Aquifer and other west Texas spring systems.

Management and Conservation

Our activities include 

  1. collection, maintenance, and propagation of rare, threatened, or endangered fishes, amphibians, plants, and invertebrates;   2.
  2. research on life history, ecological requirements, genetics, and culture of Edwards Aquifer organisms;  
  3. research on restoration of refugium species;  
  4. collection of biological information on the region鈥檚 aquatic biological resources;  5.
  5. research related to invasive species invasive species
    An invasive species is any plant or animal that has spread or been introduced into a new area where they are, or could, cause harm to the environment, economy, or human, animal, or plant health. Their unwelcome presence can destroy ecosystems and cost millions of dollars.

    Learn more about invasive species
    in aquatic ecosystems, especially involving listed species;  
  6. critical habitat restoration;  
  7. research on life history and culture of listed aquatic west Texas species;  8.
  8. troubleshooting problems at other hatcheries; and 
  9. training hatchery personnel. 

Our Projects and Research

We use science and innovative technology to drive our management and conservation of aquatic resources. And we work collaboratively with partners to effectively meet today鈥檚 complex conservation challenges 

Our Aquatic Ecology and Conservation Program studies multiple species that are not the primary focus of traditional fisheries programs, including insects, crustaceans, mollusks, salamanders, and toads.  

Our Edwards Aquifer Species Conservation program supports species endemic to the Edwards Aquifer and associated springs, providing populations supported in captivity as insurance against catastrophic events. 

Our Plant Ecology and Restoration Program conducts research on Texas wild rice to improve its management in the wild and its captive propagation. We also assist with habitat restoration within and along the San Marcos River.  

Selected Bibliography


Alvear, D, PH Diaz, JR Gibson, M Jones, and KE Perez. 2020. 鈥淎n Unusually Sculptured New Species of Phreatodrobia Hershler & Longley (Mollusca: Caenogastropoda: Cochliopidae) from Central Texas.鈥 ZOOTAXA 4810 (1): 143鈥52. .

Barnes, MA, CL Jerde, D Keller, WL Chadderton, JG Howeth, and DM Lodge. 2013. 鈥淰iability of Aquatic Plant Fragments Following Desiccation.鈥 INVASIVE PLANT SCIENCE AND MANAGEMENT 6 (2): 320鈥25. .

Barr, CB, JR Gibson, and PH Diaz. 2015. 鈥Typhloelmis barr (Coleoptera: Elmidae: Elminae), A New Stygobiontic Riffle Beetle Genus with Three New Species from Texas, USA.鈥 COLEOPTERISTS BULLETIN 69 (4): 531鈥58. .

Brewer, SK, R Mollenhauer, J Alexander, and D Moore. 2022. 鈥淐ritical Thermal Maximum Values for Stream Fishes, Including Distinct Populations of Smallmouth Bass.鈥 NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT 42 (2): 352鈥60. .

Britton, DK, and S Dingman. 2011. 鈥淯se of Quaternary Ammonium to Control the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species by Wildland Fire Equipment.鈥 AQUATIC INVASIONS 6 (2): 169鈥73. .

Britton, DK, and RF McMahon. 2004a. 鈥淓nvironmentally and Genetically Induced Shell-Shape Variation in the Freshwater Pond Snail Physa (Physella) virgata (Gould, 1855).鈥 AMERICAN MALACOLOGICAL BULLETIN 19 (1鈥2): 93鈥100.

Britton, DK, and RF McMahon. 2004b. 鈥淪easonal and Artificially Elevated Temperatures Influence Bioenergetic Allocation Patterns in the Common Pond Snail, Physella 惫颈谤驳补迟补.鈥 PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BIOCHEMICAL ZOOLOGY 77 (2): 187鈥96. .

Britton, DK, and RF McMahon. 2005. 鈥淎nalysis of Trailered Boat Traffic and the Potential Westward Spread of Zebra Mussels across the 100th Meridian.鈥 AMERICAN MALACOLOGICAL BULLETIN 20 (1鈥2): 147鈥59.

Brodersen, J, JG Howeth, and DM Post. 2015. 鈥淓mergence of a Novel Prey Life History Promotes Contemporary Sympatric Diversification in a Top Predator.鈥 NATURE COMMUNICATIONS 6 (September). .

Crow, JC, MRJ Forstner, KG Ostrand, and JR Tomasso. 2016. 鈥淭he Role of Temperature on Survival and Growth of the Barton Springs Salamander (Euryceasosorum).鈥 HERPETOLOGICAL CONSERVATION AND BIOLOGY 11 (2): 328鈥34.

Crow, JC, KG Ostrand, MRJ Forstner, M Catalano, and JR Tomasso. 2017. 鈥淓ffects of Nitrogenous Wastes on Survival of the Barton Springs Salamander (Euryceasosorum).鈥 ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 36 (11): 3003鈥7. .

DeColo, SL, AS Aspbury, KG Ostrand, and CR Gabor. 2016. 鈥淢ale-Male Interactions and Their Influence on the Mating Behavior and Success in the Fountain Darter, Etheostomafonticola.鈥 ACTA ETHOLOGICA 19 (1): 15鈥20. .

Diaz, Peter, Justin Crow, Jennifer Bronson-Warren, Stephanie Wong, and Joe Yelderman. 2023. 鈥Eurycea chisholmensis (Salado Salamander). Seasonal Breeding.鈥 HERPETOLOGICAL REVIEW 54 (2): 257.

Ethridge, JZ, JR Gibson, and CC Nice. 2013. 鈥淐ryptic Diversity within and amongst Spring-Associated Stygobromus Amphipods (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae).鈥 ZOOLOGICAL JOURNAL OF THE LINNEAN SOCIETY 167 (2): 227鈥42. .

Howeth, JG, JD Lozier, CT Olinger, ML Dedmon, JM Matthews, and SJ Cardoza. 2024. 鈥淐rayfish Communities Converge over Succession in Beaver Pond Metacommunities.鈥 FRESHWATER BIOLOGY 69 (6): 843鈥58. .

Huston, DC, D Araujo, JR Gibson, and JT Hutchinson. 2014. 鈥Epicautapolingi (Coleoptera: Meloidae) Feeding on Mountain Laurel (Sophorasecundiflora) and Guajillo (Acaciaberlandieri) in West Texas.鈥 SOUTHWESTERN ENTOMOLOGIST 39 (4): 887鈥89. .

Huston, DC, and JR Gibson. 2015. 鈥淯nderwater Pupation by the Comal Springs Riffle Beetle, Heterelmis comalensis Bosse, Tuff, and Brown, 1988 (Coleoptera: Elmidae), with an Update on Culture Techniques.鈥 COLEOPTERISTS BULLETIN 69 (3): 521鈥24. .

Huston, DC, and JR Gibson. 2018. 鈥淣ew Record of an Isolated Spring Population of Huleechius marroni Brown, 1981 in West Texas.鈥 SOUTHWESTERN ENTOMOLOGIST 43 (3): 803鈥6. .

Huston, DC, JR Gibson, KG Ostrand, CW Norris, and PH Diaz. 2015. 鈥淢onitoring and Marking Techniques for the Endangered Comal Springs Riffle Beetle, Heterelmiscomalensis Bosse, Tuff, and Brown, 1988 (Coleoptera: Elmidae).鈥 COLEOPTERISTS BULLETIN 69 (4): 793鈥98. .

Huston, DC, MD Worsham, DG Huffman, and KG Ostrand. 2014. 鈥淚nfection of Fishes, Including Threatened and Endangered Species by the Trematode Parasite Haplorchis pumilio (Looss, 1896) (Trematoda: Heterophyidae).鈥 BIOINVASIONS RECORDS 3 (3): 189鈥94. .

Hutchins, BT, JR Gibson, PH Diaz, and BF Schwartz. 2021. 鈥淪tygobiont Diversity in the San Marcos Artesian Well and Edwards Aquifer Groundwater Ecosystem, Texas, USA.鈥 DIVERSITY-BASEL 13 (6). .

Hutchinson, JT, DC Huston, and JR Gibson. 2015. 鈥淒efoliation of Cultured Creeping Primrose Willow (Ludwigia Repens) and Other Aquatic Plants by Parapoynx obscuralis (Lepidoptera: Crambidae).鈥 SOUTHWESTERN ENTOMOLOGIST 40 (1): 227鈥31. .

Hutchinson, JT, and KG Ostrand. 2017. 鈥淓valuation of Copper on Texas Wild Rice, Creeping Primrose-Willow and Waterstargrass.鈥 JOURNAL OF AQUATIC PLANT MANAGEMENT 55 (July):113鈥15.

Jean, A, ND Telles, JR Gibson, D Foley, and KB Miller. 2012. 鈥淒escription of a New Genus and Species of Stygobiontic Diving Beetle, Psychopomporusfelipi Jean, Telles, and Miller (Coleoptera: Dytiscidae: Hydroporinae), From the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer System of Texas, USA.鈥 COLEOPTERISTS BULLETIN 66 (2): 105鈥10. .

Kosnicki, E, EP Julius, and JR Gibson. 2019. 鈥淰ariation in the Number of Lateral Telson Spines of Stygobromus flagellatus (Benedict, 1896) (Amphipoda: Crangonyctidae), a Subterranean Species from Texas, USA.鈥 JOURNAL OF CRUSTACEAN BIOLOGY 39 (2): 186鈥88. .

Lieurance, D, S Canavan, DC Behringer, AE Kendig, CR Minteer, LS Reisinger, CM Romagosa, et al. 2023. 鈥淚dentifying Invasive Species Threats, Pathways, and Impacts to Improve Biosecurity.鈥 ECOSPHERE 14 (12). .

Lovejoy, RT, AN Kandow, and JG Howeth. 2023. 鈥淶ebra Mussels (Dreissena polymorpha) Influence Reservoir Ecosystem Attributes along Southern Invasion Front Metaecosystems in North America.鈥 HYDROBIOLOGIA, January. .

Lucas, LK, Z Gompert, JR Gibson, KL Bell, CA Buerkle, and CC Nice. 2016. 鈥淧ervasive Gene Flow across Critical Habitat for Four Narrowly Endemic, Sympatric Taxa.鈥 FRESHWATER BIOLOGY 61 (6): 933鈥46. .

McDermott, KS, TL Arsuffi, TM Brandt, DC Huston, and KG Ostrand. 2014. 鈥淒istribution and Occurrence of the Exotic Digenetic Trematode (Centrocestusformosanus), Its Exotic Snail Intermediate Host (Melanoidestuberculatus), and Rates of Infection of Fish in Springs Systems in Western Texas.鈥 SOUTHWESTERN NATURALIST 59 (2): 212鈥20. .

Moore, DM, and SK Brewer. 2021. 鈥淓valuation of Visual Implant Elastomer, PIT, and p-Chip Tagging Methods in a Small-Bodied Minnow Species.鈥 NORTH AMERICAN JOURNAL OF FISHERIES MANAGEMENT 41 (4): 1066鈥78. .

Moore, DM, MS Gillis, and TS Funk. 2024. 鈥淓valuation of P-Chip Microtransponder Tags on Small-Bodied Salamanders (Eurycea Spp.).鈥 AMPHIBIAN & REPTILE CONSERVATION 18 (1鈥2): 10鈥19.

Nair, P, AH Hunter, MLD Worsham, M Stehle, JR Gibson, and WH Nowlin. 2019. 鈥淪exual Dimorphism in Three Species of Heterelmis Sharp (Coleoptera: Elmidae).鈥 COLEOPTERISTS BULLETIN 73 (4): 1075鈥83. .

Olsen, JB, AP Kinziger, JK Wenburg, CJ Lewis, CT Phillips, and KG Ostrand. 2016. 鈥淕enetic Diversity and Divergence in the Fountain Darter (Etheostoma fonticola): Implications for Conservation of an Endangered Species.鈥 CONSERVATION GENETICS 17 (6): 1393鈥1404. .

Phillips, CT, JR Gibson, and JN Fries. 2011. 鈥淪pawning Behavior and Nest Association by Diondadiaboli in the Devils River, Texas.鈥 SOUTHWESTERN NATURALIST 56 (1): 108鈥12. .

Schmidt, H, KK Heinrich, J Reynolds, and JG Howeth. 2022. 鈥淎n Ecological Succession Lesson from a Beaver鈥檚 Point of View.鈥 AMERICAN BIOLOGY TEACHER 84 (4): 229鈥35. .

Wilson, WD, JT Hutchinson, and KG Ostrand. 2017. 鈥淕enetic Diversity Assessment of in Situ and Ex Situ Texas Wild Rice (Zizaniatexana) Populations, an Endangered Plant.鈥 AQUATIC BOTANY 136 (January):212鈥19. .

Worsham, MLD, DG Huffman, F Moravec, and JR Gibson. 2016. 鈥淭he Life Cycle of Huffmanela huffmani Moravec, 1987 (Nematoda: Trichosomoididae), an Endemic Marine-Relict Parasite of Centrarchidae from a Central Texas Spring.鈥 FOLIA PARASITOLOGICA 63 (June). .

Worsham, MLD, P Nair, JR Gibson, D Rodriguez, BF Schwartz, and WH Nowlin. 2023. 鈥淧hylogenetically Independent Behavior Mediating Geographic Distributions Suggests Habitat Is a Strong Driver of Phenotype in Crangonyctid Amphipods.鈥 FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION 11 (September). .