Unimodal head-width distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) from the Zeeschelde does not support disruptive selection
Since the early 20th century, European eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) have been dichotomously classified into 'narrow' and 'broad' heads. These morphs are mainly considered the result of a differential food choice, with narrow heads feeding primarily on small/soft prey and broad hea...
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ftunivgent:oai:archive.ugent.be:8581856 2023-06-11T04:03:43+02:00 Unimodal head-width distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) from the Zeeschelde does not support disruptive selection Verhelst, Pieterjan De Meyer, Jens Reubens, Jan Coeck, Johan Goethals, Peter Moens, Tom Mouton, Ans 2018 application/pdf https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8581856 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8581856 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5773 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8581856/file/8582101 eng eng https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8581856 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8581856 http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5773 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8581856/file/8582101 Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0) info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess PEERJ ISSN: 2167-8359 Biology and Life Sciences Earth and Environmental Sciences Maturation stages Head dimorphism Telemetry Speed Disruptive selection Condition European eel Unimodality Bimodality FRESH-WATER MIGRATION BEHAVIOR SALINITY PREFERENCE SHAPE HABITAT GROWTH ECOMORPHOLOGY POLYMORPHISM PLASTICITY journalArticle info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2018 ftunivgent https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5773 2023-05-10T22:50:17Z Since the early 20th century, European eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) have been dichotomously classified into 'narrow' and 'broad' heads. These morphs are mainly considered the result of a differential food choice, with narrow heads feeding primarily on small/soft prey and broad heads on large/hard prey. Yet, such a classification implies that head-width variation follows a bimodal distribution, leading to the assumption of disruptive selection. We investigated the head morphology of 272 eels, caught over three consecutive years (2015-2017) at a single location in the Zeeschelde (Belgium). Based on our results, BIC favored a unimodal distribution, while AIC provided equal support for a unimodal and a bimodal distribution. Notably, visualization of the distributions revealed a strong overlap between the two normal distributions under the bimodal model, likely explaining the ambiguity under AIC. Consequently, it is more likely that head-width variation followed a unimodal distribution, indicating there are no disruptive selection pressures for bimodality in the Zeeschelde. As such, eels could not be divided in two distinct head-width groups. Instead, their head widths showed a continuum of narrow to broad with a normal distribution. This pattern was consistent across all maturation stages studied here. Article in Journal/Newspaper Anguilla anguilla Ghent University Academic Bibliography PeerJ 6 e5773 |
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Open Polar |
collection |
Ghent University Academic Bibliography |
op_collection_id |
ftunivgent |
language |
English |
topic |
Biology and Life Sciences Earth and Environmental Sciences Maturation stages Head dimorphism Telemetry Speed Disruptive selection Condition European eel Unimodality Bimodality FRESH-WATER MIGRATION BEHAVIOR SALINITY PREFERENCE SHAPE HABITAT GROWTH ECOMORPHOLOGY POLYMORPHISM PLASTICITY |
spellingShingle |
Biology and Life Sciences Earth and Environmental Sciences Maturation stages Head dimorphism Telemetry Speed Disruptive selection Condition European eel Unimodality Bimodality FRESH-WATER MIGRATION BEHAVIOR SALINITY PREFERENCE SHAPE HABITAT GROWTH ECOMORPHOLOGY POLYMORPHISM PLASTICITY Verhelst, Pieterjan De Meyer, Jens Reubens, Jan Coeck, Johan Goethals, Peter Moens, Tom Mouton, Ans Unimodal head-width distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) from the Zeeschelde does not support disruptive selection |
topic_facet |
Biology and Life Sciences Earth and Environmental Sciences Maturation stages Head dimorphism Telemetry Speed Disruptive selection Condition European eel Unimodality Bimodality FRESH-WATER MIGRATION BEHAVIOR SALINITY PREFERENCE SHAPE HABITAT GROWTH ECOMORPHOLOGY POLYMORPHISM PLASTICITY |
description |
Since the early 20th century, European eels (Anguilla anguilla L.) have been dichotomously classified into 'narrow' and 'broad' heads. These morphs are mainly considered the result of a differential food choice, with narrow heads feeding primarily on small/soft prey and broad heads on large/hard prey. Yet, such a classification implies that head-width variation follows a bimodal distribution, leading to the assumption of disruptive selection. We investigated the head morphology of 272 eels, caught over three consecutive years (2015-2017) at a single location in the Zeeschelde (Belgium). Based on our results, BIC favored a unimodal distribution, while AIC provided equal support for a unimodal and a bimodal distribution. Notably, visualization of the distributions revealed a strong overlap between the two normal distributions under the bimodal model, likely explaining the ambiguity under AIC. Consequently, it is more likely that head-width variation followed a unimodal distribution, indicating there are no disruptive selection pressures for bimodality in the Zeeschelde. As such, eels could not be divided in two distinct head-width groups. Instead, their head widths showed a continuum of narrow to broad with a normal distribution. This pattern was consistent across all maturation stages studied here. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Verhelst, Pieterjan De Meyer, Jens Reubens, Jan Coeck, Johan Goethals, Peter Moens, Tom Mouton, Ans |
author_facet |
Verhelst, Pieterjan De Meyer, Jens Reubens, Jan Coeck, Johan Goethals, Peter Moens, Tom Mouton, Ans |
author_sort |
Verhelst, Pieterjan |
title |
Unimodal head-width distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) from the Zeeschelde does not support disruptive selection |
title_short |
Unimodal head-width distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) from the Zeeschelde does not support disruptive selection |
title_full |
Unimodal head-width distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) from the Zeeschelde does not support disruptive selection |
title_fullStr |
Unimodal head-width distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) from the Zeeschelde does not support disruptive selection |
title_full_unstemmed |
Unimodal head-width distribution of the European eel (Anguilla anguilla L.) from the Zeeschelde does not support disruptive selection |
title_sort |
unimodal head-width distribution of the european eel (anguilla anguilla l.) from the zeeschelde does not support disruptive selection |
publishDate |
2018 |
url |
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8581856 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8581856 https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5773 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8581856/file/8582101 |
genre |
Anguilla anguilla |
genre_facet |
Anguilla anguilla |
op_source |
PEERJ ISSN: 2167-8359 |
op_relation |
https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8581856 http://hdl.handle.net/1854/LU-8581856 http://dx.doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5773 https://biblio.ugent.be/publication/8581856/file/8582101 |
op_rights |
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Public License (CC-BY 4.0) info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5773 |
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PeerJ |
container_volume |
6 |
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e5773 |
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1768382325519810560 |