Phenotypic plasticity in brook charr: changes in caudal fin induced by water flow

In the field, juvenile brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis inhabiting high-velocity water were found to have larger caudal fins and more slender bodies than those inhabiting low-velocity water. Young-of-the-year S. fontinalis were reared in either a high- or low-velocity treatment for 16 weeks and the...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of fish biology 2002-11, Vol.61 (5), p.1171-1181
Main Authors: Imre, I, Mclaughlin, R L, Noakes, D L
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Freshwater
Phenotypic plasticity
Salvelinus fontinalis
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Summary:In the field, juvenile brook charr Salvelinus fontinalis inhabiting high-velocity water were found to have larger caudal fins and more slender bodies than those inhabiting low-velocity water. Young-of-the-year S. fontinalis were reared in either a high- or low-velocity treatment for 16 weeks and their morphology was measured bi-weekly. From the second to fourth weeks of the experiment onwards, fish reared in the high-velocity treatment had larger maximum caudal fin heights and deeper caudal peduncles than fish reared in the low-velocity treatment. This study demonstrated that the morphological variation in caudal area exhibited by wild juvenile brook charr from microhabitats differing in water velocity could be a consequence of phenotypic plasticity in response to hydrological conditions. Copyright 2002 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.
ISSN:0022-1112
1095-8649
DOI:10.1006/jfbi.2002.2131