Recovery plans for many endangered fishes include production of large numbers of individuals in hatcheries to augment wild populations. However, effects of hatchery culture on phenotypic development are poorly documented for most species. June sucker (Chasmistes liorus) is an endangered lake sucker endemic to Utah Lake (Utah, USA), and recovery plans include raising thousands of juveniles to stock in the lake. To determine effects of hatchery culture on morphology of young June sucker, we raised individuals from four different families in both lake and hatchery environments and compared shape variation among families and between environments. We compared shape from three perspectives: lateral body, ventral mouth, and lateral head views. Mean shape varied between hatchery-reared and lake-reared individuals in each of the three views. In addition, hatchery-reared individuals exhibited higher variance in shape both within and among families compared with shape variance in lake-reared individuals. Hatchery-reared individuals exhibited divergent phenotypes compared with lake-reared individuals. These results suggest that exposure to the native environment during early life stages may be important for phenotypic development suitable to native habitats. Hatcheries should incorporate designs and practices to minimize divergent phenotypic development of individuals.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.