The temporal window of ecological adaptation in postglacial lakes: a comparison of head morphology, trophic position and habitat use in Norwegian threespine stickleback populations
Background: Studying how trophic traits and niche use are related in natural populations is important in order to understand adaptation and specialization. Here, we describe trophic trait diversity in twenty-five Norwegian freshwater threespine stickleback populations and their putative marine ances...
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BioMed Central
2016
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/2429/58727 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-016-0676-2 |
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ftunivbritcolcir:oai:circle.library.ubc.ca:2429/58727 2023-05-15T16:41:37+02:00 The temporal window of ecological adaptation in postglacial lakes: a comparison of head morphology, trophic position and habitat use in Norwegian threespine stickleback populations Østbye, Kjartan Harrod, Chris Gregersen, Finn Klepaker, Tom Schulz, Michael Schluter, Dolph Vøllestad, Leif A 2016-05-13 http://hdl.handle.net/2429/58727 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-016-0676-2 eng eng BioMed Central Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Østbye et al. CC-BY Adaptive radiation Natural selection Ecological niche Stable isotopic analysis Isostatic uplift Holocene Pleistocene ice sheet Benthic-limnetic stickleback species pairs Text Article 2016 ftunivbritcolcir https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-016-0676-2 2019-10-15T18:20:50Z Background: Studying how trophic traits and niche use are related in natural populations is important in order to understand adaptation and specialization. Here, we describe trophic trait diversity in twenty-five Norwegian freshwater threespine stickleback populations and their putative marine ancestor, and relate trait differences to postglacial lake age. By studying lakes of different ages, depths and distance to the sea we examine key environmental variables that may predict adaptation in trophic position and habitat use. We measured trophic traits including geometric landmarks that integrated variation in head shape as well as gillraker length and number. Trophic position (Tpos) and niche use (α) were estimated from stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N). A comparison of head shape was also made with two North American benthic-limnetic species pairs. Results We found that head shape differed between marine and freshwater sticklebacks, with marine sticklebacks having more upturned mouths, smaller eyes, larger opercula and deeper heads. Size-adjusted gillraker lengths were larger in marine than in freshwater stickleback. Norwegian sticklebacks were compared on the same head shape axis as the one differentiating the benthic-limnetic North American threespine stickleback species pairs. Here, Norwegian freshwater sticklebacks with a more “limnetic head shape” had more and longer gillrakers than sticklebacks with “benthic head shape”. The “limnetic morph” was positively associated with deeper lakes. Populations differed in α (mean ± sd: 0.76 ± 0.29) and Tpos (3.47 ± 0.27), where α increased with gillraker length. Larger fish had a higher Tpos than smaller fish. Compared to the ecologically divergent stickleback species pairs and solitary lake populations in North America, Norwegian freshwater sticklebacks had similar range in Tpos and α values, but much less trait divergences. Conclusions Our results showed trait divergences between threespine stickleback in marine and freshwater environments. Freshwater populations diverged in trophic ecology and trophic traits, but trophic ecology was not related to the elapsed time in freshwater. Norwegian sticklebacks used the same niches as the ecologically divergent North American stickleback species pairs. However, as trophic trait divergences were smaller, and not strongly associated with the ecological niche, ecological adaptations along the benthic-limnetic axis were less developed in Norwegian sticklebacks. Science, Faculty of Non UBC Zoology, Department of Reviewed Faculty Article in Journal/Newspaper Ice Sheet University of British Columbia: cIRcle - UBC's Information Repository Solitary Lake ENVELOPE(-128.184,-128.184,59.223,59.223) BMC Evolutionary Biology 16 1 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
University of British Columbia: cIRcle - UBC's Information Repository |
op_collection_id |
ftunivbritcolcir |
language |
English |
topic |
Adaptive radiation Natural selection Ecological niche Stable isotopic analysis Isostatic uplift Holocene Pleistocene ice sheet Benthic-limnetic stickleback species pairs |
spellingShingle |
Adaptive radiation Natural selection Ecological niche Stable isotopic analysis Isostatic uplift Holocene Pleistocene ice sheet Benthic-limnetic stickleback species pairs Østbye, Kjartan Harrod, Chris Gregersen, Finn Klepaker, Tom Schulz, Michael Schluter, Dolph Vøllestad, Leif A The temporal window of ecological adaptation in postglacial lakes: a comparison of head morphology, trophic position and habitat use in Norwegian threespine stickleback populations |
topic_facet |
Adaptive radiation Natural selection Ecological niche Stable isotopic analysis Isostatic uplift Holocene Pleistocene ice sheet Benthic-limnetic stickleback species pairs |
description |
Background: Studying how trophic traits and niche use are related in natural populations is important in order to understand adaptation and specialization. Here, we describe trophic trait diversity in twenty-five Norwegian freshwater threespine stickleback populations and their putative marine ancestor, and relate trait differences to postglacial lake age. By studying lakes of different ages, depths and distance to the sea we examine key environmental variables that may predict adaptation in trophic position and habitat use. We measured trophic traits including geometric landmarks that integrated variation in head shape as well as gillraker length and number. Trophic position (Tpos) and niche use (α) were estimated from stable isotopes (δ13C, δ15N). A comparison of head shape was also made with two North American benthic-limnetic species pairs. Results We found that head shape differed between marine and freshwater sticklebacks, with marine sticklebacks having more upturned mouths, smaller eyes, larger opercula and deeper heads. Size-adjusted gillraker lengths were larger in marine than in freshwater stickleback. Norwegian sticklebacks were compared on the same head shape axis as the one differentiating the benthic-limnetic North American threespine stickleback species pairs. Here, Norwegian freshwater sticklebacks with a more “limnetic head shape” had more and longer gillrakers than sticklebacks with “benthic head shape”. The “limnetic morph” was positively associated with deeper lakes. Populations differed in α (mean ± sd: 0.76 ± 0.29) and Tpos (3.47 ± 0.27), where α increased with gillraker length. Larger fish had a higher Tpos than smaller fish. Compared to the ecologically divergent stickleback species pairs and solitary lake populations in North America, Norwegian freshwater sticklebacks had similar range in Tpos and α values, but much less trait divergences. Conclusions Our results showed trait divergences between threespine stickleback in marine and freshwater environments. Freshwater populations diverged in trophic ecology and trophic traits, but trophic ecology was not related to the elapsed time in freshwater. Norwegian sticklebacks used the same niches as the ecologically divergent North American stickleback species pairs. However, as trophic trait divergences were smaller, and not strongly associated with the ecological niche, ecological adaptations along the benthic-limnetic axis were less developed in Norwegian sticklebacks. Science, Faculty of Non UBC Zoology, Department of Reviewed Faculty |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Østbye, Kjartan Harrod, Chris Gregersen, Finn Klepaker, Tom Schulz, Michael Schluter, Dolph Vøllestad, Leif A |
author_facet |
Østbye, Kjartan Harrod, Chris Gregersen, Finn Klepaker, Tom Schulz, Michael Schluter, Dolph Vøllestad, Leif A |
author_sort |
Østbye, Kjartan |
title |
The temporal window of ecological adaptation in postglacial lakes: a comparison of head morphology, trophic position and habitat use in Norwegian threespine stickleback populations |
title_short |
The temporal window of ecological adaptation in postglacial lakes: a comparison of head morphology, trophic position and habitat use in Norwegian threespine stickleback populations |
title_full |
The temporal window of ecological adaptation in postglacial lakes: a comparison of head morphology, trophic position and habitat use in Norwegian threespine stickleback populations |
title_fullStr |
The temporal window of ecological adaptation in postglacial lakes: a comparison of head morphology, trophic position and habitat use in Norwegian threespine stickleback populations |
title_full_unstemmed |
The temporal window of ecological adaptation in postglacial lakes: a comparison of head morphology, trophic position and habitat use in Norwegian threespine stickleback populations |
title_sort |
temporal window of ecological adaptation in postglacial lakes: a comparison of head morphology, trophic position and habitat use in norwegian threespine stickleback populations |
publisher |
BioMed Central |
publishDate |
2016 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/58727 https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-016-0676-2 |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-128.184,-128.184,59.223,59.223) |
geographic |
Solitary Lake |
geographic_facet |
Solitary Lake |
genre |
Ice Sheet |
genre_facet |
Ice Sheet |
op_rights |
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ Østbye et al. |
op_rightsnorm |
CC-BY |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12862-016-0676-2 |
container_title |
BMC Evolutionary Biology |
container_volume |
16 |
container_issue |
1 |
_version_ |
1766032067406069760 |