Testing the potential mechanisms for the maintenance of a genetic color polymorphism in bluefin killifish populations.

ABSTRACT: The maintenance of genetic variation in the face of natural selection is a long-standing question in evolutionary biology. In the bluefin killifish Lucania goodei, male coloration is polymorphic. Males can produce either red or yellow coloration in their anal fins, and both color morphs are present in all springs. These 2 morphs are heritable and how they are maintained in nature is unknown. Here, we tested 2 mechanisms for the maintenance of the red/yellow color morphs. Negative frequency-dependent mating success predicts that rare males have a mating advantage over common males. Spatial variation in fitness predicts that different color morphs have an advantage in different microhabitat types. Using a breeding experiment, we tested these hypotheses by creating populations with dif

SUBMITTER: Johnson AM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6280095 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature