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Exposure to a common environment erodes inherited between‐population trophic morphology differences in Arctic charr
Author(s) -
Alexander G. D.,
Adams C. E.
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2004.00276.x
Subject(s) - biology , trophic level , phenotypic plasticity , salvelinus , zoology , arctic , ecology , population , morphology (biology) , fishery , fish <actinopterygii> , demography , trout , sociology
Arctic charr Salvelinus alpinus juveniles reared from eggs collected from four Scottish populations showed inherited variation in their expression of trophic morphology, measured as a suite of eight characteristics of the head and mouth, before their first exogenous feeding. This demonstrated a genetic component to trophic morphology expression. During a period of 5 months following first feeding, typified by rapid growth, the differential between groups exposed to a common rearing and feeding environment was reduced significantly. It was concluded that this was the result of common environmental exposure acting on phenotypic plasticity in trophic morphology.