Morphology, Performance and Fitness

Arnold, Stevan J.

doi:10.1093/icb/23.2.347

Cited by 1,473 publications

(1,325 citation statements)

References 42 publications

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“…Therefore, if competitive abilities and fitness are determined by morphology (Arnold 1983), competition should be highest among conspecifics (Schoener 1971(Schoener , 1974. Hence, trophically polymorphic species that show a bimodal, rather than a normal distribution for a morphological, ecologically relevant trait provide an excellent opportunity to test models for competition and speciation (Werner 1977;Wiens 1977;Rosenzweig 1978;Seger 1985).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost of morphological specialization: feeding performance of the two morphs in the trophically polymorphic cichlid fish, Cichlasoma citrinellum

1989

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Summary.The feeding performance on soft and hard prey of two morphs of the trophically polymorphic Neotropical cichlid fish, Cichlasoma citrinellum, was investigated in the laboratory. The molariform morphs, specialized to feed on hard prey, are able to crack snail shells that are twice as hard as those cracked by the papilliform morphs. During ecological bottlenecks in food resources this ability should allow molariform morphs to exploit alternate, less preferred prey sources that are not available to papilliform morphs. Analysis of stomach contents revealed that molariform morphs feed significantly more often on hard snails than do papilliform morphs (Meyer 1989a). The performance advantage of the trophically specialized morphs when feeding on hard prey is countered by their less efficient performance on soft diets. The morphologically generalized papilliform morph feeds more efficiently on soft prey. The abundance of preferred soft prey, seasonal fluctuations in prey availability and the frequency of ecological bottlenecks may determine the relative abundance of these two morphs in natural populations in Nicaraguan lakes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Cost of morphological specialization: feeding performance of the two morphs in the trophically polymorphic cichlid fish, Cichlasoma citrinellum

1989

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“…To sample the fish in the enclosures, we set 10 minnow traps with inaccessible bait in tea infuser spoons per enclosure one hour before dusk and removed them one hour after dawn on the following day. Recaptured individuals were then assigned to their source population, counted, measured, weighed, sexed if possible, fin‐clipped and a photograph was taken, providing survival information as fitness measure and body mass information as performance measure related to fitness (sensu Arnold, 1983). After the first measurement (15 days post‐release), all fish were set back into their original enclosures.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive phenotypic plasticity contributes to divergence between lake and river populations of an East African cichlid fish

Rajkov

Weber

Salzburger

et al. 2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Adaptive phenotypic plasticity and fixed genotypic differences have long been considered opposing strategies in adaptation. More recently, these mechanisms have been proposed to act complementarily and under certain conditions jointly facilitate evolution, speciation, and even adaptive radiations. Here, we investigate the relative contributions of adaptive phenotypic plasticity vs. local adaptation to fitness, using an emerging model system to study early phases of adaptive divergence, the generalist cichlid fish species Astatotilapia burtoni. We tested direct fitness consequences of morphological divergence between lake and river populations in nature by performing two transplant experiments in Lake Tanganyika. In the first experiment, we used wild‐caught juvenile lake and river individuals, while in the second experiment, we used F1 crosses between lake and river fish bred in a common garden setup. By tracking the survival and growth of translocated individuals in enclosures in the lake over several weeks, we revealed local adaptation evidenced by faster growth of the wild‐caught resident population in the first experiment. On the other hand, we did not find difference in growth between different types of F1 crosses in the second experiment, suggesting a substantial contribution of adaptive phenotypic plasticity to increased immigrant fitness. Our findings highlight the value of formally comparing fitness of wild‐caught and common garden‐reared individuals and emphasize the necessity of considering adaptive phenotypic plasticity in the study of adaptive divergence.

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“…As such, understanding the effects of a selective factor such as a pathogen on a given trait or traits in each of these broad contexts (e.g., natural selection versus sexual selection) is necessary if we are to understand how that factor ultimately affects total fitness. A good candidate for a trait that is both linked to fitness and shaped by multiple selective contexts is locomotor performance, such as running, jumping or swimming (Arnold 1983;Ghalambor et al 2003). Locomotory ability correlates positively with hunting success, escape from predators (Christian and Tracy 1981;Trombulak 1989), dispersal (Phillips et al 2006), and mating success in several vertebrate species, the latter specifically through achieving victory in male combat via speed or agility (Able 1999;reviewed in Lailvaux and Irschick 2006;Husak and Fox 2008).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Fitness Consequences of Infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)

et al. 2013

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The amphibian chytrid fungus, Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd), has been linked to amphibian declines and extinctions worldwide. The pathogen has been found on amphibians throughout eastern North America, but has not been associated with mass die-offs in this region. In this study, we conducted laboratory experiments on the effects of Bd infection in a putative carrier species, Lithobates pipiens, using two estimators of fitness: jumping performance and testes morphology. Over the 8-week study period, peak acceleration during jumping was not significantly different between infected and uninfected animals. Peak velocity, however, was significantly lower for infected animals after 8 weeks. Two measures of sperm production, germinal epithelium depth, and maximum spermatic cyst diameter, showed no difference between infected and uninfected animals. The width, but not length, of testes of infected animals was significantly greater than in uninfected animals. This study is the first to show effects on whole-organism performance of Bd infection in post-metamorphic amphibians, and may have important long-term, evolutionary implications for amphibian populations co-existing with Bd infection.

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Morphology, Performance and Fitness

Cited by 1,473 publications

References 42 publications

Cost of morphological specialization: feeding performance of the two morphs in the trophically polymorphic cichlid fish, Cichlasoma citrinellum

Cost of morphological specialization: feeding performance of the two morphs in the trophically polymorphic cichlid fish, Cichlasoma citrinellum

Adaptive phenotypic plasticity contributes to divergence between lake and river populations of an East African cichlid fish

Fitness Consequences of Infection by Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis in Northern Leopard Frogs (Lithobates pipiens)

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