The adaptive significance of dorsal spine variation in the fourspine stickleback, Apeltes quadracus, I. Geographic variation in spine number

The goal of our research is to investigate the adaptive significance of a polymorphism for the number of dorsal spines in Apeltes quadracus, the fourspine stickleback. One approach we take is to search for correlations between phenotypes and environments. To this end we collected Apeltes and scored environments at 570 sites in the Maritime Provinces of Canada. In this paper we describe geographic variation in spine number and evaluate how reliably it reflects genetic differentiation among sites. Morph frequencies are highly differentiated geographically. We describe four kinds of variation: relatively constant frequencies, gentle clines, steep clines, and remarkably abrupt changes (called "intrusions") where frequencies at some sites differ greatly from those at a larger number of surrounding sites. Most of the variation among sites is due to differences in the frequencies of the four- and five-spined morphs. However, a remarkable result is that the three-spined morph, which is rare or absent elsewhere in the range, reaches very high frequencies in Bras D'Or Lake. Our evidence suggests this variation among sites reflects substantial genetic differentiation. The differentiation is favorable for detecting selective agents, if indeed selection is responsible.