Phenotypic plasticity of Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations diverged from habitat in Caspian Sea basin

Document Type : Morphology

Authors

Department of Fisheries, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources of Karaj, Faculty of Natural Resources, University of Tehran, Karaj, Iran

Abstract

The objective of this study is to determine the phenotypic plasticity among two populations of  Stickleback (Gasterosteus  aculeatus)  from  the  Caspian  Sea  basin using  landmark-based geometric morphometric method. A total of 101 specimens were sampled from two location of  this  basin  including  the  Babolroud  River  (central  part  of  the  Caspian  Sea  basin)  and  the Gomishan  wetland  (east  part  of  Caspian  Sea  basin).  The  left  side  of  specimens  was photographed  using  digital  camera  and  23  landmarks  points  were  digitized  on  two- dimensional  images  using  TpsDig2.  Landmark  data  after  generalised  procrustes  analysis (GPA)  were  analyzed  using  DFA  and  Manova.  Results  displayed  significant  difference  of body  shape  between  to  studied  population  (P<0.001)  that  were  related  to  body  and  head depth, caudal peduncle length and depth. These difference revealed morphological divergence related to habitat induced due to environmental parameters.

Keywords