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Updated: May 21, 2026

Microinjection for Transgenesis and Genome Editing in Threespine Sticklebacks
08:51

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Published on: May 13, 2016

Intraguild predation drives evolutionary niche shift in threespine stickleback.

Travis Ingram1, Richard Svanbäck, Nathan J B Kraft

  • 1Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, 2370-6270 University Blvd., Vancouver, British Columbia V6T 1Z4, Canada. ingram@fas.harvard.edu

Evolution; International Journal of Organic Evolution
|June 8, 2012
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Evolutionary adaptations in threespine stickleback to intraguild predation by prickly sculpin reduce predation risk. Sympatric stickleback exhibit enhanced defenses and altered foraging, modifying food web dynamics.

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Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Behavioral Ecology

Background:

  • Intraguild predation, where a single antagonist preys upon and competes with another species, is common but its evolutionary impacts remain unclear.
  • Prey in intraguild interactions may evolve defenses, improve competitive skills, or utilize alternative resources, potentially reshaping food webs.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate evolutionary responses of threespine stickleback to intraguild predation by the benthic prickly sculpin.
  • To assess the ecological consequences of stickleback evolutionary shifts on food web structure.

Main Methods:

  • Comparative morphometric analysis of stickleback populations sympatric and allopatric to prickly sculpin.
  • Mesocosm experiment manipulating sculpin presence and stickleback origin (sympatric vs. allopatric).

Main Results:

  • Stickleback sympatric with sculpin displayed increased armor and more limnetic body shapes compared to allopatric populations.
  • Allopatric stickleback experienced high mortality with sculpin presence, while sympatric stickleback showed reduced mortality but lower growth rates.
  • Sympatric stickleback consumed more pelagic prey, leading to zooplankton depletion, indicating altered foraging and reduced diet overlap.

Conclusions:

  • Intraguild prey evolution, demonstrated by threespine stickleback, can significantly alter food web structure.
  • Evolved defenses and altered foraging in stickleback reduce predation by intraguild predators and minimize competition for shared resources.