New finding of melanic three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus in the Scottish Hebrides

0535439 - ÚBO 2021 RIV CZ eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Smith, Carl - Zieba, G. - Spence, Rowena - Przybylski, M.
New finding of melanic three-spined sticklebacks Gasterosteus aculeatus in the Scottish Hebrides.
Journal of Vertebrate Biology. Roč. 69, č. 4 (2020), č. článku 20039. E-ISSN 2694-7684
Institucionální podpora: RVO:68081766
Klíčová slova: adaptive radiation * Gasterosteidae * intraspecific variation * machair * Pungitius pungitius * speciation
Obor OECD: Zoology
Způsob publikování: Open access
https://bioone.org/journalArticle/Download?fullDOI=10.25225%2Fjvb.20039

Colour traits can be elaborated through sexual selection and have potential to drive reproductive isolation. Male three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) express striking visual signals to attract choosy females during courtship, typically expressed as red carotenoid-based pigmentation on their throat and jaw during the breeding season, along with blue eyes and blue/green flanks. The extent and intensity of red colouration in males have been linked to fitness benefits to females, including body condition, parasite resistance, parental ability and nest defence. In some populations in the Pacific Northwest of North America, male three-spined sticklebacks express melanic nuptial colouration. In these populations, male possess black throats instead of red, and have dark or black bodies. Melanic males are associated with waterbodies that are red-shifted due to the presence of tannins, where the ambient light environment is dominated by long wavelengths. Here we report the first discovery outside North America of melanic populations of three-spined sticklebacks on the island of North Uist in the Scottish Hebrides, on the northwest Atlantic coast of Europe. These populations are associated with a hotspot of stickleback morphological diversity and occur in association with red-shifted waterbodies.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0313465