Líffræðifélag Íslands
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2015

Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E1

Phenotypic variability in behaviour, diet and morphology of a cave dwelling population of small benthic charr (Salvelinus alpinus)

Sigurður H. Árnason (1,2), Camille Leblanc (1), Skúli Skúlasson (1), Bjarni K. Kristjánsson (1)

1. Háskólinn á Hólum, 2. Háskóli Íslands

Kynnir / Presenter: Sigurður Halldór Árnason

Tengiliður / Corresponding author: Sigurður Halldór Árnason (sigha@mail.holar.is)

"Behavioral plasticity may drive evolutionary change, as changes in behavior often expose organisms to novel selection pressures. This can result in differential behavioral specializations among individuals within populations, eventually leading to diversification of morphological, physiological, and life history traits. This is thought to be a critical early step in ecological diversification and speciation. Recent experimental evidence suggests that variability in behavior may precede morphological differences in the early stages of diversification in Icelandic Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) populations. If morphological diversification is preceded by specialized foraging behavior, then we should be able to find evidence of divergent behavior among individuals displaying only slight morphological variability. Here we use a population of small benthic (SB) Arctic charr residing in a cave near Lake Mývatn to determine: a) if variable behavior can be seen among individuals in the same population; b) if such variability can be related to variability in diet; c) how variability in these two factors is related to morphological traits. In order to determine this we have repeatedly sampled the diet and quantified the habitat use (behavior) of PIT tagged fish using a multi-antenna telemetry system. Assessing behavioral variability prior to the appearance of morphological differences may provide novel insight into the early steps of ecological speciation."