Niche segregation in two closely related species of stickleback along a physiological axis: explaining multidecadal changes in fish distribution from iron-induced respiratory impairment.

ABSTRACT: Acute exposure to iron can be lethal to fish, but long-term sublethal impacts of iron require further study. Here we investigated whether the spatial and temporal distribution (1967-2004) of two closely related species of stickleback matched the spatial distribution of iron concentrations in the groundwater. We used the 'Northern Peel region', a historically iron-rich peat landscape in The Netherlands as a case study. This allowed us to test the hypothesis that niche segregation in two closely related species of stickleback occurred along a physiological axis. Patterns in stickleback occurrence were strongly associated with spatial patterns in iron concentrations before 1979: iron-rich grid cells were avoided by three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus, Linnaeus 1758) and pr

SUBMITTER: Verberk WC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4431660 | biostudies-literature | 2012

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature