Ecological divergence and habitat isolation between two migratory forms of Japanese threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

When two closely related species migrate to divergent spawning sites, divergent use of spawning habitats can directly reduce heterospecific mating. Furthermore, adaptations to divergent spawning habitats can promote speciation as a by-product of ecological divergence. Here, we investigated habitat i...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of evolutionary biology 2010-07, Vol.23 (7), p.1436-1446
Main Authors: KUME, M, KITANO, J, MORI, S, SHIBUYA, T
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal Migration
Animal reproduction
Animals
body shape
Body Weights and Measures
ecological speciation
Ecosystem
Evolutionary biology
Fish migration
food resource
Gasterosteus aculeatus
Gastrointestinal Contents
Genetic Speciation
Geography
habitat choice
habitat segregation
Habitats
Japan
Marine biology
migration
Pacific Ocean
phenotypic divergence
predation
Salinity
Smegmamorpha - genetics
Smegmamorpha - physiology
species pair
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Summary:When two closely related species migrate to divergent spawning sites, divergent use of spawning habitats can directly reduce heterospecific mating. Furthermore, adaptations to divergent spawning habitats can promote speciation as a by-product of ecological divergence. Here, we investigated habitat isolation and ecological divergence between two anadromous forms of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), the Japan Sea and Pacific Ocean forms. In several coastal regions of eastern Hokkaido, Japan, these forms migrate to the same watershed to spawn. Our field surveys in a single watershed revealed that segregation of distinct spawning sites between the two forms was maintained within the watershed across multiple years. These spawning sites diverged in salinity and predator composition. Morphological and physiological divergence between the forms also occurs in the direction predicted by ecological differences between the spawning sites. Our data indicate that migration into divergent spawning habitats can be an important mechanism contributing to speciation and phenotypic divergence in anadromous fishes.
ISSN:1010-061X
1420-9101
DOI:10.1111/j.1420-9101.2010.02009.x