Morphology, life history, and ecology of an unusual stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the Queen Charlotte Islands, Canada

1972 ◽  
Vol 50 (6) ◽  
pp. 721-732 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. E. E. Moodie
Keyword(s):  
Black Males ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Queen Charlotte Islands ◽  
Large Size ◽  
Breeding Cycles ◽  
Plate Counts ◽  
Gill Raker

In Mayer Lake Black sticklebacks shared an exposed environment with several predatory fish, whereas leiurus, the typical freshwater form of Gasterosteus aculeatus, was the only fish inhabiting the vegetation-choked margins of the inlet streams and stream mouths. Black sticklebacks and, to a lesser extent, leiurus were seldom collected outside their respective habitats. Breeding Black males were probably at least 2 years old. They preferred to nest near vegetation, on sandy, gently sloping substrates. The length of the breeding season and the number of breeding cycles in the season were similar to those of other populations. Males of different phenotypes appeared to nest in habitats differing in water depth and proximity to shelter. Some differences in habitat of the nest site were seemingly correlated with breeding success. Black sticklebacks are distinguished from leiurus by their large size and pelvic spines; high gill raker, vertebral and lateral plate counts; streamlined shape; melanism and drab breeding colors. Black sticklebacks probably meet the requirements of a biologically defined species.

The evolution of freshwater diversity in the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): site-specific differentiation of trophic morphology

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (11) ◽  
pp. 2632-2638 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Lavin ◽  
J. D. Mcphail
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Morphological Variability ◽  
River System ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Piscivorous Fish ◽  
Trophic Morphology ◽  
Interpopulation Variability ◽  
Gill Raker ◽  
Lateral Plates

To assess interpopulation levels of morphological variability populations of Gasterosteus aculeatus were sampled from lakes within the upper Cowichan River system (Vancouver Island, British Columbia). Phenotypic divergence between populations is assumed to be a postglacial event. Nine characters were scored; eight were related to feeding and the ninth character was lateral plate number. All populations were the low plate morph; however, populations of Gasterosteus in lakes lacking piscivorous fish had significantly fewer lateral plates than populations in lakes with predatory fish species. Two distinct trophic "morphotypes" were identified, each one associated with a specific lake environment. Populations inhabiting benthic-dominated environments were found to possess reduced gill raker number and reduced gill raker length but increased upper jaw length relative to populations from limnetic environments. We propose that the interpopulation variability in trophic morphology is a response to trophic resource differences between lakes.

scholarly journals FUNCTIONAL IMPLICATIONS OF FLUCTUATING ASYMMETRY AMONG ENDEMIC POPULATIONS OF GASTEROSTEUS ACULEATUS

Behaviour ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 137 (7-8) ◽  
pp. 1097-1112 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Keyword(s):  
Fluctuating Asymmetry ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Structural Integrity ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Queen Charlotte Islands ◽  
Extreme Variation ◽  
Functional Implications ◽  
Measure Of Asymmetry ◽  
Selection For ◽  
Lateral Plates

AbstractFluctuating asymmetry (FA) has been used as a measure of developmental stability across many taxa, with asymmetric individuals presumed to have reduced fitness. FA has also been suggested for use in conservation biology as a measure of the health of populations. Here we assess the suitability of these uses of FA by using a novel measure of asymmetry in the bony lateral plates of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from 60 insular and endemic freshwater populations from the Queen Charlotte Islands. The frequency of asymmetric G. aculeatus individuals among populations varied from 1% to 76% with a mean of 42%. Extreme variation in the frequency of asymmetries among lateral plate positions within samples was also observed. Plates important to the structural integrity of predator defences were least asymmetric, either due to selection against asymmetry at these positions or to variation in the temporal development of the plates. These results emphasize the need for caution when interpreting differential levels of FA among traits in individuals and populations, as the differences may be due to variation in the strength or direction of selection for symmetry, and not exclusively to differences in fitness.

Fast-start swimming performance and reduction in lateral plate number in threespine stickleback

2002 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 207-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
C A Bergstrom
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Swimming Performance ◽  
Maximum Velocity ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Predatory Fish ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Maximum Acceleration ◽  
Plate Number ◽  
Fast Start

Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have colonized freshwater habitats in circumboreal coastal regions, resulting in populations with variable but generally reduced lateral plate numbers compared with marine ancestors. Several abiotic and ecological factors associated with variation in lateral plate number among freshwater populations of G. aculeatus have been found, including large-scale climatic effects, variation in water-flow rates and levels of dissolved calcium, and the presence or absence of predatory fish. In addition, it has been proposed that plate reduction might be an adaptation for evading predator pursuit that enhances fast-start performance. If this hypothesis is correct, one would predict that fast-start performance would improve as lateral plate numbers decrease. I tested this prediction by comparing fast-start performance among stickleback with different numbers of lateral plates within two freshwater populations. Fast-starts of individual stickleback were video-recorded at 60 Hz and maximum velocity, maximum acceleration, displacement, and body curvature were calculated for each fish. Lateral plate number was significantly negatively correlated with velocity and displacement but not with acceleration or curvature. These results suggest that reduction in lateral plate number has the potential to be advantageous in some predation regimes because of its association with enhanced fast-start performance.

scholarly journals Genetics of plate morphology in an unusual population of threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

1976 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 33-46 ◽  
Author(s):  
John C. Avise
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Basis ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Genetic Loci ◽  
Isolated Populations ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Threespine Sticklebacks ◽  
Plate Counts ◽  
Different Populations ◽  
Plate Morphology ◽  
Single Locality

SUMMARYA collection of Gasterosteus aculeatus from a single locality (Friant) in Madera County, California, contains individuals with low and high lateral plate morphology, and very few intermediates. Electrophoretic evidence on protein similarities at 15 genetic loci is compatible with the thesis that members of these two morphs belong to a single interbreeding population. This thesis is also supported by broods from laboratory crosses between morphs, which segregate for low and high plate counts. Laboratory crosses between Friant fish and those from geographically isolated populations often yield some progeny with intermediate plate counts. The demonstration of significantly different patterns of plate development in intralocality versus interlocality crosses evidences a contrasting genetic basis for plate determination in different populations of sticklebacks.

Size-Structured Morality in a Treespine Stickleback (Gastrosteus aculeatus) – Cutthroat Trout (Oncorhynchus clarki) Community

1990 ◽  
Vol 47 (6) ◽  
pp. 1194-1205 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. E. Reimchen
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Size Structure ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Total Mortality ◽  
Cutthroat Trout ◽  
Oncorhynchus Clarki ◽  
Small Fish ◽  
Frequency Distributions ◽  
Queen Charlotte Islands ◽  
Young Of The Year

In a 112-ha bog lake on the Queen Charlotte Islands, British Columbia, small fish comprised the major element in the diet of cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki). Despite the presence of juvenile salmon and char in the lake, threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) was the most common fish in the diet (99.5%). Foraging activity appeared to be more frequent in littoral than in limnetic regions. Mark–recapture methods indicate an average population of 220 trout and 75 000 adult stickleback. Trout consumed an estimated 308 770 stickleback yearly (145 kg) of which 65% were taken during summer. Seventy-three percent of all fish consumed were young of the year and 2% were adults, the latter representing 4% of the adult population in the lake. There was a 75% reduction in total mortality between successive year classes of stickleback (0,1,2,3 +). This consumption curve, which resembles a typical survivorship curve of fish, is a function of the size-structure of the populations and includes interactions between size availability of stickleback, prey-size preferences of the trout, and length frequency distributions of trout. Total weight of stickleback consumed by trout comprised about 40% of that previously calculated for 16 species of avian piscivores in the lake.

Postglacial evolution in lateral plate morphs in Norwegian freshwater populations of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 898-906 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tom Klepaker
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Alternative Hypothesis ◽  
Morphological Variability ◽  
Threespine Stickleback ◽  
Evolutionary Stage ◽  
Lateral Plate ◽  
Land Uplift ◽  
Founding Population ◽  
Freshwater Stickleback ◽  
Age Range

Norwegian freshwater stickleback populations were founded after the last glacial period, and the progressive uplift of the land has produced an age range (1000 – 13 000 years) of the stickleback habitats. Most of the freshwater populations of today have probably been formed by isolation of marine sticklebacks in the process of land uplift. The freshwater threespine stickleback is known for its great morphological variability. Three distinct morphs ("low," "partial," and "complete") are recognized on the basis of variation in the lateral row of plates. Among the Norwegian populations, all three morphs were found, but the low morph was by far the most common and occurred mostly in monomorphic populations. The presence of the complete and partial morphs was mostly restricted to young lakes near the sea. It is likely that the plate polymorphism in this region is a transitionary evolutionary stage from a founding population dominated by complete to a monomorphic low population. The hypothesis of a polytypic origin of the low morph is discussed, and an alternative hypothesis is proposed. Within each plate morph, the number of plates also varied, and populations with exceptionally low plate numbers were mostly confined to three different areas. Within these areas, populations with plateless specimens also occurred. These plateless specimens tended to inhabit old lakes. The low plate number and plateless populations were found in parts of Norway that were deglaciated early. The advanced plate reduction can therefore be a result of a longer period of isolation and freshwater evolution. Other populations may be on their way towards extreme plate reduction, but have not yet reached the level of platelessness.

Effects of Conspecifics and Vegetation On Nest Site Selection in Gasterosteus Aculeatus L

Behaviour ◽  
1972 ◽  
Vol 42 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 97-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald A. Jenni
Keyword(s):  
Site Selection ◽  
Open Space ◽  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Glass Plate ◽  
Nest Site Selection ◽  
End Effect ◽  
Middle Portion ◽  
Nest Sites ◽  
The Difference

AbstractVegetation and conspecific rivals both exert significant influences on the locations of territories as determined by the nest sites selected by naive male three-spined sticklebacks. The effect of a row of vegetation along one end of a tank depends on the size of the tank. In small tanks (up to I20 cm), a row of vegetation at one end repels males. In the 300 cm tank, a row of vegetation at one end did not appear to influence the overall distribution of nests, but those nesting in the end with the vegetation tended to nest in the vegetation. A row of vegetation at one end of the 600 cm ditch attracted some males who nested in the row. The remaining nests were located in the middle portion of the ditch,, and the end effect in the unplanted ditch disappeared. Thus the effect of a row of vegetation depends on the amount of open space available in front of it. In the 600 cm ditch, a row of vegetation standing away from the end attracted 65 per cent of the males who selected nest sites within and adjacent to the rows compared to 40 per cent when the row was at the end. The difference is not quite significant. With a rival behind a glass plate 30 cm from one end of the otherwise bare 600 cm tank, rival males selected nest sites at the opposite end of the tank. The repelling effect of a rival was effective over a relatively large distance in this bare environment. The repelling effect of the rival was exaggerated in some experiments in which a second glass plate was placed 30 cm from the opposite end. Separate experiments proved that a glass plate attracted males who tended to nest near it. The repelling effects of a rival was greatly reduced when a row of vegetation was placed at some distance from his territory boundary (glass plate).

Telencephalon and Behaviour in Gasterosteus Aculeatus

Behaviour ◽  
1961 ◽  
Vol 18 (4) ◽  
pp. 256-287 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Segaar
Keyword(s):  
Gasterosteus Aculeatus ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Optimal Number ◽  
Breeding Cycle ◽  
Normal Pattern ◽  
Olfactory Bulbs ◽  
Normal Behaviour ◽  
Breeding Cycles ◽  
Thick Stratum ◽  
Building Behaviour

AbstractThe investigation concerns the problem of the function of the Telencephalon in the reproductive behaviour of Gasterosteus aculeatus males. This behaviour involves aggressive, sexual and parental activities whose strength was measured in breeding cycles some weeks or months after small parts of the Telencephalon had been removed and compared with non-operated animals. 1. Removal of the N.n. olfactorii or of the Bulbi olf. does not change the normal behaviour. 2. Removal of one complete Telencephalon-hemisphere also does not change the normal behaviour. 3. Removal of the frontal parts of the Telencephalon, including the olfactory bulbs, produces irreversible modifications in the behaviour in subsequent breeding cycles consisting of 1) significantly low Aggression, 2) Sex activity of significantly short duration and 3) significantly high Parental care. 4. Removal of the bilateral parts of the Telencephalon in a breeding cycle one month after the operation produces broadly the same modifications as after frontal operations, but after two or three months the behaviour can revert to the normal pattern. 5. After a transverse cut between the olfactory bulbs and the commissura anterior the behaviour can revert to normal in as little as one month. In other words these changes are reversible. 6. The recovery of the normal pattern is accompanied by regeneration, but is not proportional to the actual amount of tissue regenerated. It happens that recovery of the normal pattern in some days of the breeding week is accompanied by a modified pattern and a striking antagonism between the tendencies in other days. Since this runs sometimes parallel with apparent total regeneration, sometimes with partial regeneration it is probable, that architectonic structures are involved. 7. The regeneration after lateral operation is histologically visible after 42 days as a thick stratum of neuroblasts in the periphery and after 84 days as delamination of the same kind as can be observed in normal animals, and regeneration of nerve fibres. The Telencephalon of Gasterosteus males is concerned with nest-building behaviour and also with governing the relative balance of aggressive, sexual and parental behaviour. This integration is apparently of survival value, ensuring that the animals do obtain, defend and care for the optimal number of clutches per nest.

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