Drift versus selection as drivers of phenotypic divergence at small spatial scales: The case of Belgjarskogur threespine stickleback.

ABSTRACT: Divergence in phenotypic traits is facilitated by a combination of natural selection, phenotypic plasticity, gene flow, and genetic drift, whereby the role of drift is expected to be particularly important in small and isolated populations. Separating the components of phenotypic divergence is notoriously difficult, particularly for multivariate phenotypes. Here, we assessed phenotypic divergence of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) across 19 semi-interconnected ponds within a small geographic region (~7.5 km²) using comparisons of multivariate phenotypic divergence (PST), neutral genetic (FST), and environmental (EST) variation. We found phenotypic divergence across the ponds in a suite of functionally relevant phenotypic traits, including feeding, defense,

SUBMITTER: Seymour M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6662300 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature