| Is intraspecific variation in diet and morphology related to environmental gradients? Exploring Liem's paradox in a cichlid fish. | |
| | |
MedLine Citation:
|
PMID: 21392342 Owner: NLM Status: In-Data-Review |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
|
Interspecific studies have demonstrated that trophic morphology and ecology are not always tightly matched: a phenomenon rarely reported at the intraspecific level. In the present study, we explored relationships among diet, morphology and the environment in a widespread cichlid fish, Astatoreochromis alluaudi (Pellegrin 1904), from 6 sites in southern Uganda to test for evidence of eco-morphological matching at the interdemic level. Previous studies of Astatoreochromis alluaudi have demonstrated developmental plasticity in trophic morphology in response to diet: a mollusk diet produces specimens with large pharyngeal jaws and muscles, whereas a soft-food diet produces smaller pharyngeal jaws and corresponding changes in musculature. Sites were chosen to maximize variability in environmental variables that might directly or indirectly affect trophic morphology. We found significant differences in pharyngeal jaw and muscle morphology among populations. Similarly, we found differences in diets among sites: mollusks were found in the stomachs of fish from only 2 populations sampled, despite the presence of mollusks in 5 of the 6 sites. Although trophic morphology did match the observed diet in 2 sites, diet did not correlate with either morphology or environmental variables across sites, nor were environmental variables correlated with morphological variation among sites. These results suggest that mismatch can occur among different populations of a single species for reasons such as seasonality in resources, developmental plasticity and/or complex indirect interactions. Intraspecific mechanisms should be further studied in order to better understand the complex relationships between morphological specialization and ecological generalization. |
| | |
Authors:
|
Sandra A Binning; Lauren J Chapman |
Publication Detail:
|
Type: Journal Article |
Journal Detail:
|
Title: Integrative zoology Volume: 5 ISSN: 1749-4877 ISO Abbreviation: Integr Zool Publication Date: 2010 Sep |
Date Detail:
|
Created Date: 2011-03-11 Completed Date: - Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
|
Nlm Unique ID: 101492420 Medline TA: Integr Zool Country: Australia |
Other Details:
|
Languages: eng Pagination: 241-55 Citation Subset: IM |
Copyright Information:
|
© 2010 ISZS, Blackwell Publishing and IOZ/CAS. |
Affiliation:
|
Biology Department, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H3A 1B1 Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, New York, USA. |
Export Citation:
|
APA/MLA Format Download EndNote Download BibTex |
| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
|
|
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
Previous Document: Morphological variation in the short-tailed fruit bat (Carollia) in Ecuador, with comments on the pr...
Next Document: Survival, food consumption and growth of Norway lobster (Nephrops norvegicus) kept in laboratory con...