Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2017

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E59

Living in the lava: ecology and evolution of Arctic charr in caves

Höfundar / Authors: Camille A.-L. Leblanc (1), Katja Räsänen (2), Árni Einarsson (3, 4), Michael Morrissey (5), Moira Ferguson (6) , Skúli Skúlason (1), and Bjarni K. Kristjánsson (1)

Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1. Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Hólar University College, Sauðárkrókur, Iceland, 2. Department of Aquatic Ecology, Eawag, Dübendorf, Switzerland, 3. Institute of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Iceland, Reykjavik, Iceland, 4. Mývatn Research Station, Mývatn, Iceland, 5. School of Biology, University of Saint Andrews, Saint Andrews, United Kingdom, 6. Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada

Kynnir / Presenter: Camille A.-L. Leblanc

Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) is a good example of intraspecific diversity. Intralacustrine morphs are common, and there is often great diversity among watersheds. This diversity has been related to use of resources, to specific habitats and selective pressures. In Icelandic systems both allopatric and sympatric morphs are common.
We show that small benthic Arctic charr found in lava caves around Lake Mývatn form a collection of small but unique populations, with low connectivity across caves. Tagging of individuals, combined with measurements of growth and morphology, further show phenotypic divergence at small spatial scales. Local ecological factors such as temperature and macroinvertebrates composition vary among caves, and seem to affect phenotypic traits in these populations. Survival, and growth of individuals vary among caves, suggesting that different evolutionary /ecological factors may drive selection in each of this population.
These results strongly indicate that both evolution and ecological factors play a role in shaping genetic and phenotypic structure of wild populations at contemporary times. This system offers the opportunity to address the importance of both ecological and evolutionary factors over small spatial and temporal scales.