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Updated: Jun 10, 2026
08:51
Microinjection for Transgenesis and Genome Editing in Threespine Sticklebacks
Published on: May 13, 2016
Rapid evolution of cold tolerance in stickleback.
Rowan D H Barrett1, Antoine Paccard, Timothy M Healy
1Department of Zoology, University of British Columbia, , Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada , V6T 1Z4. rbarrett@zoology.ubc.ca
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|August 6, 2010
Summary
Climate change poses evolutionary challenges. Marine stickleback fish rapidly evolved cold tolerance in freshwater environments, demonstrating significant adaptive capacity to changing temperatures.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Climate Change Adaptation
- Ecology
Background:
- Climate change is altering global temperatures, impacting biological communities.
- Understanding adaptive evolution to temperature extremes is crucial but often relies on correlative or lab-based studies.
- Field experiments are needed to assess natural selection dynamics and genetic mechanisms of adaptation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the experimental evolution of cold tolerance in threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus).
- To quantify the rate and heritability of cold tolerance evolution in a natural population.
- To understand the adaptive potential of marine sticklebacks to colder freshwater environments.
Main Methods:
- Transplantation of marine sticklebacks to freshwater ponds.
- Measurement of cold tolerance evolution over three generations.
- Assessment of heritability of cold tolerance differences between marine and freshwater populations.
Main Results:
- Freshwater sticklebacks exhibit significantly higher cold tolerance than marine sticklebacks, a trait that is heritable.
- Marine sticklebacks transplanted to freshwater evolved a 2.5°C lower minimum temperature tolerance within three generations.
- The observed rate of cold tolerance evolution (0.63 haldanes) is rapid and matches levels found in wild freshwater populations.
Conclusions:
- Cold tolerance is under strong natural selection in response to environmental temperature changes.
- Marine stickleback populations possess sufficient genetic variation for rapid adaptation to colder conditions.
- This study highlights the remarkable evolutionary plasticity of fish in response to climate change.
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