A test for within-lake niche differentiation in the nine-spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius).

ABSTRACT: Specialization for the use of different resources can lead to ecological speciation. Accordingly, there are numerous examples of ecologically specialized pairs of fish "species" in postglacial lakes. Using a polymorphic panel of single nucleotide variants, we tested for genetic footprints of within-lake population stratification in nine-spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius) collected from three habitats (viz. littoral, benthic, and pelagic) within a northern Swedish lake. Analyses of admixture, population structure, and relatedness all supported the conclusion that the fish from this lake form a single interbreeding unit.

SUBMITTER: Calboli FC 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4979704 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature