Premium
Toxic hydrogen sulphide and dark caves: pronounced male life‐history divergence among locally adapted Poecilia mexicana (Poeciliidae)
Author(s) -
RIESCH R.,
PLATH M.,
SCHLUPP I.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of evolutionary biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.289
H-Index - 128
eISSN - 1420-9101
pISSN - 1010-061X
DOI - 10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02194.x
Subject(s) - poeciliidae , biology , poecilia , life history theory , cave , guppy , ecology , phenotypic plasticity , zoology , adaptation (eye) , ecological speciation , gonadosomatic index , local adaptation , life history , gene flow , genetic variation , fish <actinopterygii> , fecundity , gene , fishery , demography , population , neuroscience , sociology , biochemistry
Chronic environmental stress is known to induce evolutionary change. Here, we assessed male life‐history trait divergence in the neotropical fish Poecilia mexicana from a system that has been described to undergo incipient ecological speciation in adjacent, but reproductively isolated toxic/nontoxic and surface/cave habitats. Examining both field‐caught and common garden–reared specimens, we investigated the extent of differentiation and plasticity of life‐history strategies employed by male P. mexicana . We found strong site‐specific life‐history divergence in traits such as fat content, standard length and gonadosomatic index. The majority of site‐specific life‐history differences were also expressed under common garden–rearing conditions. We propose that apparent conservatism of male life histories is the result of other (genetically based) changes in physiology and behaviour between populations. Together with the results from previous studies, this is strong evidence for local adaptation as a result of ecologically based divergent selection.