Postglacial evolution in lateral plate morphs in Norwegian freshwater populations of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 898-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Klepaker
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Morphological Variability ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Evolutionary Stage ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Land Uplift ◽  
Founding Population ◽  
Freshwater Stickleback ◽  
Age Range

Norwegian freshwater stickleback populations were founded after the last glacial period, and the progressive uplift of the land has produced an age range (1000 – 13 000 years) of the stickleback habitats. Most of the freshwater populations of today have probably been formed by isolation of marine sticklebacks in the process of land uplift. The freshwater threespine stickleback is known for its great morphological variability. Three distinct morphs ("low," "partial," and "complete") are recognized on the basis of variation in the lateral row of plates. Among the Norwegian populations, all three morphs were found, but the low morph was by far the most common and occurred mostly in monomorphic populations. The presence of the complete and partial morphs was mostly restricted to young lakes near the sea. It is likely that the plate polymorphism in this region is a transitionary evolutionary stage from a founding population dominated by complete to a monomorphic low population. The hypothesis of a polytypic origin of the low morph is discussed, and an alternative hypothesis is proposed. Within each plate morph, the number of plates also varied, and populations with exceptionally low plate numbers were mostly confined to three different areas. Within these areas, populations with plateless specimens also occurred. These plateless specimens tended to inhabit old lakes. The low plate number and plateless populations were found in parts of Norway that were deglaciated early. The advanced plate reduction can therefore be a result of a longer period of isolation and freshwater evolution. Other populations may be on their way towards extreme plate reduction, but have not yet reached the level of platelessness.

Reproductive Isolation Among Lateral Plate Phenotypes (Low, Partial, Complete) of the Threespine Stickleback, Gasterosteus Aculeatus, From the White Sea Basin and the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia

Behaviour ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 132 (15-16) ◽  
pp. 1173-1181 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valery V. Ziuganov
Keyword(s):  
Gene Flow ◽  
Reproductive Isolation ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
White Sea ◽  
Kamchatka Peninsula ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
The White Sea ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Freshwater Pond ◽  
White Sea Basin

AbstractReproductive isolation was investigated among sympatric lateral plate morphs of threespine stickleback from the White Sea basin and also among phenotypically similar morphs from the distant Kamchatka River basin (Lake Azabachije). Female choice tests show that gene flow is restricted among the completely plated and low plated morphs at both locations; behavioural isolation between these morphs is complete among Lake Azabachije fish, and nearly so (93% positive assortative mating) among White Sea basin fish. However, the experiments also demonstrate that there are no barriers to reproduction among the Azabachije and White Sea complete morphs, among the Azabachije low and White Sea complete morphs, nor among the Azabachije complete and White Sea low morphs. In addition, there is no evidence of barriers to gene flow among the low and partially plated morphs. Therefore, although gene flow is restricted among the extreme morphs within each locality, nevertheless gene exchange is possible, either directly or secondarily, among all phenotypes. The reproductive isolation between the complete and low morphs from the White Sea basin developed in situ no more than eight generations after the sticklebacks were introduced into an isolated freshwater pond. Therefore behavioural isolation can evolve very rapidly among the lateral plate phenotypes of Gasterosteus aculeatus.

Do asymmetric sticklebacks make better fathers?

1996 ◽  
Vol 263 (1370) ◽  
pp. 535-539 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Control ◽  
Natural Population ◽  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Plate Number

Lateral plate number phenotypes in the low morph of the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus , are under strong genetic control and display fluctuating asymmetry. Results of a survey of a natural population show the nests of asymmetric males were more likely to contain fry than nests of symmetric males. This suggests asymmetric males were more reproductively successful than symmetric males. There is little or no possibility that plate number symmetry can be directly assessed by either potential mates or rival males which compete for mates and attack clutches. Asymmetric males may be slightly larger than symmetric males.

Replicated ecological landscapes and the evolution of morphological diversity among Gasterosteus populations from an archipelago on the west coast of Canada

2006 ◽  
Vol 84 (5) ◽  
pp. 643-654 ◽  
Author(s):  
T.E. Reimchen ◽  
P. Nosil
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Morphological Variability ◽  
Principal Component ◽  
Morphological Diversity ◽  
Sexually Dimorphic ◽  
Haida Gwaii ◽  
Body Depth ◽  
Eye Diameter ◽  
Freshwater Stickleback ◽  
Gill Raker

We investigated defence and trophic morphology of 40 freshwater stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L., 1758) populations from the Banks–Estevan archipelago for comparison with the isolated stickleback populations from the nearby Haida Gwaii archipelago. Using 14 size-standardized metric traits and 11 meristic or categorical traits from 1706 individuals (14–54/site), we found that the first principal component (PC1) defined a defence apparatus characterized by high loadings for pelvic spine length, number of forks on the ascending process, number of lateral plates, and overlap between lateral and basal plates. The second component (PC2) defined a trophic apparatus characterized by high loadings for gape length, eye diameter, and body depth. Populations with loss of spines, loss of plates, increased gape, increased body depth, and low gill raker number were most prevalent in ponds and shallow lakes with low conductivity. Most traits were sexually dimorphic, with males exhibiting greater armature and increased benthic trophic adaptations. We observed substantially less morphological variability among Banks–Estevan stickleback populations than among the Haida Gwaii populations and one instance of common ancestry or convergence to the giant black stickleback of Haida Gwaii.

No short-term effect of salinity on oxygen consumption in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from fresh, brackish, and salt water

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (12) ◽  
pp. 1386-1393 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kyrre Grøtan ◽  
Kjartan Østbye ◽  
Annette Taugbøl ◽  
L. Asbjørn Vøllestad
Keyword(s):  
Oxygen Consumption ◽  
Brackish Water ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Salt Water ◽  
Standard Metabolic Rate ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Freshwater Environments

Marine threespine stickleback ( Gasterosteus aculatus L., 1758) have repeatedly colonized Holarctic freshwater environments after the retreat of the Pleistocene glaciers, and based on their ability to move rapidly between salinities have apparently retained a robust osmoregulatory apparatus that can cope with both short- and long-term exposure to non-native salinity environments. Standard metabolic rate (SMR), measured as oxygen consumption at rest, can be used as an indicator of the cost of osmoregulation when fish are exposed to new environmental conditions. Following freshwater colonization, reduction in the number of lateral plates, an antipredator defence structure, is common. Completely plated fish dominate in the sea, low-plated fish dominate in fresh water, and partially plated fish often dominate in brackish water environments. In a laboratory experiment, we estimated SMR in locally adapted populations from salt, brackish, and freshwater environments at three different salinities (0, 15, and 30 practical salinity units (PSU)). In addition, we tested for correlations between SMR and lateral plate number and lateral plate genotype at the Ectodysplasin locus for stickleback originating from the brackish water population. Contrary to our expectations, no differences were found in SMR between any of the experimental groups in our experiment. Apparently, the threespine stickleback is able to move among salinity environments without large short-term metabolic costs, irrespective of their environment of origin.

Fast-start swimming performance and reduction in lateral plate number in threespine stickleback

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
C A Bergstrom
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Maximum Acceleration ◽  
Plate Number ◽  
Fast Start

Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have colonized freshwater habitats in circumboreal coastal regions, resulting in populations with variable but generally reduced lateral plate numbers compared with marine ancestors. Several abiotic and ecological factors associated with variation in lateral plate number among freshwater populations of G. aculeatus have been found, including large-scale climatic effects, variation in water-flow rates and levels of dissolved calcium, and the presence or absence of predatory fish. In addition, it has been proposed that plate reduction might be an adaptation for evading predator pursuit that enhances fast-start performance. If this hypothesis is correct, one would predict that fast-start performance would improve as lateral plate numbers decrease. I tested this prediction by comparing fast-start performance among stickleback with different numbers of lateral plates within two freshwater populations. Fast-starts of individual stickleback were video-recorded at 60 Hz and maximum velocity, maximum acceleration, displacement, and body curvature were calculated for each fish. Lateral plate number was significantly negatively correlated with velocity and displacement but not with acceleration or curvature. These results suggest that reduction in lateral plate number has the potential to be advantageous in some predation regimes because of its association with enhanced fast-start performance.

The evolution of freshwater diversity in the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): site-specific differentiation of trophic morphology

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 2632-2638 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Lavin ◽  
J. D. Mcphail
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Morphological Variability ◽  
River System ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Piscivorous Fish ◽  
Trophic Morphology ◽  
Interpopulation Variability ◽  
Gill Raker ◽  
Lateral Plates

To assess interpopulation levels of morphological variability populations of Gasterosteus aculeatus were sampled from lakes within the upper Cowichan River system (Vancouver Island, British Columbia). Phenotypic divergence between populations is assumed to be a postglacial event. Nine characters were scored; eight were related to feeding and the ninth character was lateral plate number. All populations were the low plate morph; however, populations of Gasterosteus in lakes lacking piscivorous fish had significantly fewer lateral plates than populations in lakes with predatory fish species. Two distinct trophic "morphotypes" were identified, each one associated with a specific lake environment. Populations inhabiting benthic-dominated environments were found to possess reduced gill raker number and reduced gill raker length but increased upper jaw length relative to populations from limnetic environments. We propose that the interpopulation variability in trophic morphology is a response to trophic resource differences between lakes.

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