Líffræðifélag Íslands
Líffræðiráðstefnan 2015
Erindi/veggspjald / Talk/poster E102
Camille A. Leblanc (1), Katja Räsänen (2), Sigurður Snorrason (3), Árni Einarsson (3,4), Michael Morrissey (5), Moira Ferguson (6), Bjarni K. Kristjánsson (1), and Skúli Skúlason (1)
"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, Iceland; 5. School of Biology, University of Saint Andrews, United Kingdom; 6. Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada."
Kynnir / Presenter: Camille A. Leblanc
Tengiliður / Corresponding author: Camille A. Leblanc (camille@mail.holar.is)
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 wild populations are particularly powerful to study divergence in space and time. We studied phenotypic and genetic diversity of Arctic charr (Salvelinus alpinus) across four years and twenty lava caves around Lake Mývatn, Iceland. Mark-recapture studies, combined with population genetics, show that these caves are inhabited by small local populations of charr with low connectivity across caves. Individual tagging, combined with measurements of growth and morphology, further show phenotypic divergence at small spatial scales. Additionally local ecological factors seem to affect phenotypic traits in these populations. 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.