Physicochemical properties and fish occurrence in 35 Icelandic lakes housing Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) ...

• Main Authors: Kristjánsson, Bjarni K, Malmquist, Hilmar J, Ingimarsson, Finnur, Antonsson, Thórólfur, Snorrason, Sigurdur S, Skúlason, Skúli
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: PANGAEA 2011
• Subjects: International Polar Year 2007-2008 IPY; Arctic charr; International Polar Year; IPY; Salvelinus alpinus
• Online Access: https://dx.doi.org/10.1594/pangaea.812217; https://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.812217

The common occurrence of parallel phenotypic patterns suggests that a strong relationship exists between ecological dynamics and micro-evolution. Comparative studies from a large number of populations under varying sets of ecological drivers could contribute to a better understanding of this relationship. We used data on morphology of arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) and ecological factors from 35 Icelandic lakes to test the hypothesis that morphological patterns among monomorphic charr populations from different lakes are related to interlake variation in ecological characteristics. There is extensive phenotypic diversity among populations of Icelandic charr, and populations are easily distinguished based on overall body morphology. The results obtained in the present study showed that the morphological diversity of charr was related to large-scale diversity in lake ecology. Variation in charr morphology was related to water origin (e.g. spring fed versus run-off), bedrock age, and fish community ... : This study is part of the ESIL Project (The Ecological Survey of Icelandic Lakes). Data extracted in the frame of a joint ICSTI/PANGAEA IPY effort, see http://doi.pangaea.de/10.1594/PANGAEA.150150 ...