Sexual Dimorphism and Geographic Variation in Dentition of Threespine Stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus

Copeia ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 2001 (4) ◽  
pp. 936-944 ◽  
Author(s):  
William J. Caldecutt ◽  
Michael A. Bell ◽  
John A. Buckland-Nicks
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Geographic Variation ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Threespine Stickleback

scholarly journals Diversity and sexual dimorphism in the head lateral line system in North Sea populations of threespine sticklebacks, Gasterosteus aculeatus (Teleostei: Gasterosteidae)

Zoomorphology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Harald Ahnelt ◽  
David Ramler ◽  
Maria Ø. Madsen ◽  
Lasse F. Jensen ◽  
Sonja Windhager
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
North Sea ◽  
Lateral Line ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Sensory System ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Lateral Line System ◽  
Line System ◽  
Marine Population ◽  
Threespine Sticklebacks

AbstractThe mechanosensory lateral line of fishes is a flow sensing system and supports a number of behaviors, e.g. prey detection, schooling or position holding in water currents. Differences in the neuromast pattern of this sensory system reflect adaptation to divergent ecological constraints. The threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is known for its ecological plasticity resulting in three major ecotypes, a marine type, a migrating anadromous type and a resident freshwater type. We provide the first comparative study of the pattern of the head lateral line system of North Sea populations representing these three ecotypes including a brackish spawning population. We found no distinct difference in the pattern of the head lateral line system between the three ecotypes but significant differences in neuromast numbers. The anadromous and the brackish populations had distinctly less neuromasts than their freshwater and marine conspecifics. This difference in neuromast number between marine and anadromous threespine stickleback points to differences in swimming behavior. We also found sexual dimorphism in neuromast number with males having more neuromasts than females in the anadromous, brackish and the freshwater populations. But no such dimorphism occurred in the marine population. Our results suggest that the head lateral line of the three ecotypes is under divergent hydrodynamic constraints. Additionally, sexual dimorphism points to divergent niche partitioning of males and females in the anadromous and freshwater but not in the marine populations. Our findings imply careful sampling as an important prerequisite to discern especially between anadromous and marine threespine sticklebacks.

scholarly journals Sympatric Speciation in Threespine Stickleback: Why Not?

2011 ◽  
Vol 2011 ◽  
pp. 1-15 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel I. Bolnick
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Assortative Mating ◽  
Intraspecific Competition ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Theoretical Models ◽  
Sympatric Speciation ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Disruptive Selection ◽  
Evolutionary Diversification ◽  
Trait Variance

Numerous theoretical models suggest that sympatric speciation is possible when frequency-dependent interactions such as intraspecific competition drive disruptive selection on a trait that is also subject to assortative mating. Here, I review recent evidence that both conditions are met in lake populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Nonetheless, sympatric speciation appears to be rare or absent in stickleback. If stickleback qualitatively fit the theoretical requirements for sympatric speciation, why do they not undergo sympatric speciation? I present simulations showing that disruptive selection and assortative mating in stickleback, though present, are too weak to drive speciation. Furthermore, I summarize empirical evidence that disruptive selection in stickleback drives other forms of evolutionary diversification (plasticity, increased trait variance, and sexual dimorphism) instead of speciation. In conclusion, core assumptions of sympatric speciation theory seem to be qualitatively reasonable for stickleback, but speciation may nevertheless fail because of (i) quantitative mismatches with theory and (ii) alternative evolutionary outcomes.

scholarly journals Sexual dimorphism patterns of the White Sea threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed Dorgham ◽  
Ulrika Candolin ◽  
Tatiana Ivanova ◽  
Mikhail Ivanov ◽  
Ekaterina Nadtochii ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
White Sea ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Ecological Niches ◽  
Body Parts ◽  
The White Sea ◽  
Spawning Period ◽  
Biased Sex Ratio ◽  
Anterior Body

Sexual dimorphism (SD) in the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus reflects the different roles of the sexes in reproduction and their adaptations to different ecological niches. We quantified SD in one population of marine stickleback from the White Sea, collected during the spawning period from three spawning grounds, each at a distance of 5 km or less from the others. We used a landmark-based approach to quantify variation in 44 morphometric linear traits. In total, 749 females and 693 males were analyzed. In males, anterior body parts are larger — the base of the caudal fin and armor structures such as the first and second dorsal spines and the pelvic spine. Females have larger posterior bodies — the abdomen, pelvic girdle and the third dorsal spine. The SD of caudal body parts exhibits complex patterns. In White Sea threespine stickleback, SD patterns are generally similar to other populations of the species, but more often show male-biased patterns. Female-biased size SD may be associated with the female biased sex ratio of White Sea stickleback.

Male aggression and colour in divergent populations of the threespine stickleback: experiments with animations

1996 ◽  
Vol 74 (9) ◽  
pp. 1727-1733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey S. McKinnon ◽  
J. D. McPhail
Keyword(s):  
North America ◽  
Geographic Variation ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Agonistic Behaviour ◽  
Western North America ◽  
Colour Discrimination ◽  
Male Aggression ◽  
Nuptial Coloration ◽  
Negative Findings

We investigated the evolution of male agonistic behaviour and nuptial coloration in populations of the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, with either monomorphic red or monomorphic black coloration. Specifically, we examined the responses of males from the two population types to computer-generated animations of males with black, red, or dull grey throats on otherwise identically coloured bodies. Males varied greatly in their aggressive responses among individuals and among trials, and did not show statistically significant discrimination towards the differently coloured animations. These results, therefore, do not suggest a role for interactions among males in the evolution of divergent male nuptial coloration. In addition, these negative findings are consistent with other studies of stickleback from western North America, suggesting that geographic variation in agonistic colour discrimination may account, in part, for the discrepancies between the results of earlier studies. Given the diverse methods of studies on this topic, however, methodological differences may also have contributed to the inconsistent results.

Responses of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus, L) transcriptome to hypoxia

2011 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 370-381 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Leveelahti ◽  
P. Leskinen ◽  
E.H. Leder ◽  
W. Waser ◽  
M. Nikinmaa
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Threespine Stickleback

scholarly journals Heritability of DNA methylation in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Genetics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 217 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juntao Hu ◽  
Sara J S Wuitchik ◽  
Tegan N Barry ◽  
Heather A Jamniczky ◽  
Sean M Rogers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Dna Methylation ◽  
Genetic Architecture ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Additive Genetic Variance ◽  
Natural Populations ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Phenotypic Change ◽  
Cpg Sites ◽  
Cis And Trans ◽  
Methylation Variation

Abstract Epigenetic mechanisms underlying phenotypic change are hypothesized to contribute to population persistence and adaptation in the face of environmental change. To date, few studies have explored the heritability of intergenerationally stable methylation levels in natural populations, and little is known about the relative contribution of cis- and trans-regulatory changes to methylation variation. Here, we explore the heritability of DNA methylation, and conduct methylation quantitative trait loci (meQTLs) analysis to investigate the genetic architecture underlying methylation variation between marine and freshwater ecotypes of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We quantitatively measured genome-wide DNA methylation in fin tissue using reduced representation bisulfite sequencing of F1 and F2 crosses, and their marine and freshwater source populations. We identified cytosines (CpG sites) that exhibited stable methylation levels across generations. We found that additive genetic variance explained an average of 24–35% of the methylation variance, with a number of CpG sites possibly autonomous from genetic control. We also detected both cis- and trans-meQTLs, with only trans-meQTLs overlapping with previously identified genomic regions of high differentiation between marine and freshwater ecotypes. Finally, we identified the genetic architecture underlying two key CpG sites that were differentially methylated between ecotypes. These findings demonstrate a potential role for DNA methylation in facilitating adaptation to divergent environments and improve our understanding of the heritable basis of population epigenomic variation.

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