Líffræðifélag Íslands - biologia.is
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2021

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E61

Small populations of Arctic charr in lava caves in Iceland

Höfundar / Authors: Bjarni K. Kristjánsson (1), Skúli Skúlason (1, 2), Katja Räsänen (3), Moira M. Fergussin (4), Arni Einarsson (5), Michael Morrissey (6) and Camille Leblanc (1)

Starfsvettvangur / Affiliations: 1 - Háskólinn á Hólum, 2 - Náttúruminjasafn Íslands, 3 - Jyväskylä University, Finnland, 4 - University of Guelph, Kanada, 5 - Náttúrurannsóknarstöðin við Mývatn, 6 - University of St. Andrews, Skotland

Kynnir / Presenter: Bjarni Kristjánsson

A key question in evolutionary biology is to understand which factors shape biological diversity. This is especially true at the intra-specific level, where evolutionary and ecologically processes interact to shape the phenotypic and genetic structure of natural populations. Long-term monitoring studies on highly replicated populations are particularly powerful to study divergence in space and time. We have studied phenotypic and genetic diversity of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) across ten years and twenty lava caves around Lake Mývatn, Iceland. Mark-recapture studies, combined with population genetics, show that these cave charr consist of small local populations with low connectivity across caves. Individual tagging, combined with measurements of growth and morphology, further show phenotypic divergence at small spatial scales. We will discuss the relative importance of drift and ecology to divergence in this cave charr system and how this relates to our understanding of factors shaping biodiversity.