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Microinjection for Transgenesis and Genome Editing in Threespine Sticklebacks
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Differential predation alters pigmentation in threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
Michelle Gygax1, Ana K Rentsch1, Seth M Rudman2,3
1Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland.
Journal of Evolutionary Biology
|July 29, 2018
Summary
Predation by cutthroat trout influences threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) coloration. Stickleback evolved increased lateral barring and dorsal green pigmentation in response to trout predation, suggesting a role in ecotype divergence.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Ecology
- Animal Behavior
Background:
- Animal pigmentation is crucial for biological interactions like courtship and predator avoidance.
- Sympatric threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) ecotypes display distinct pigment patterns.
- Differential predation is a potential driver of phenotypic divergence in natural populations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if differential predation by cutthroat trout drives pigmentation divergence between benthic and limnetic stickleback ecotypes.
- To assess the impact of trout predation on stickleback pigmentation using a controlled selection experiment.
Main Methods:
- A within-generation selection experiment was conducted on F2 benthic-limnetic stickleback hybrids.
- Fish were exposed to cutthroat trout predation or control conditions for 10 months.
- Pigmentation patterns, water turbidity, and diet were analyzed to correlate with predation pressure.
Main Results:
- Stickleback in ponds with trout predation developed significantly more lateral barring.
- Increased lateral barring was negatively correlated with water turbidity.
- Benthic diet and habitat use correlated with greater lateral barring and green dorsal pigmentation.
Conclusions:
- Differential predation by cutthroat trout is a likely factor contributing to the divergence in body pigmentation between benthic and limnetic stickleback ecotypes.
- Environmental factors like water turbidity and habitat preference interact with predation to shape stickleback coloration.
- This study provides evidence for natural selection acting on pigmentation in response to specific predator-prey interactions.
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