Habitat-associated morphological divergence in two Neotropical fish species
Langerhans, R.B.; Layman, C.A.; Langerhans, A.K.; DeWitt, T.J. (2003). Habitat-associated morphological divergence in two Neotropical fish species. Biol. J. Linn. Soc. 80(4): 689-698
In: Biological Journal of the Linnean Society. Academic Press: London; New York. ISSN 0024-4066; e-ISSN 1095-8312, more
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| Keywords |
Biological phenomena > Evolution
Biology > Organism morphology > Animal morphology
Biopolymorphism
Bioselection > Natural selection
Cell constituents > Chromosomes > Genes
Motion > Water motion > Water currents
Phenotypes
Population characteristics > Population number
Velocity
Marine/Coastal |
| Authors | | Top |
- Langerhans, R.B.
- Layman, C.A.
- Langerhans, A.K.
- DeWitt, T.J.
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| Abstract |
We examined intraspecific morphological diversification between river channel and lagoon habitats for two Neotropical fish (Bryconops caudomaculatus, Characidae; Biotodoma wavrini, Cichlidae). We hypothesized that differences between habitats (e.g. flow regime, foraging opportunities) might create selective pressures resulting in morphological divergence between conspecific populations. We collected fish from four channel-lagoon habitat pairs in the Río Cinaruco, Venezuela, and compared body morphology using geometric morphometrics. There were two aspects of divergence in both species: (1) placement of maximum body depth and (2) orientation of the mouth. For both species, maximum body depth was positioned more anteriorly (i.e. fusiform) in the river channel than in lagoons. Both species exhibited a relatively terminal mouth in lagoons compared to the channel. The mouth of B. caudomaculatus was relatively upturned, whereas the mouth of B. wavrini was relatively subterminal, in channel habitats. Observed morphological patterns are consistent with functional morphological principles suggesting adaptive divergence. We also show that spatial distance between habitats, presumably reflecting rates of population mixing, appears to have constrained diversification. For both species, morphological divergence increased with distance between habitats. Thus morphological divergence between channel and lagoon habitats apparently reflects a balance between diversification driven by natural selection, and homogenization driven by population mixing. |
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