100-year time series reveal little morphological change following impoundment and predator invasion in two Neotropical characids.

ABSTRACT: Human activities are dramatically altering ecosystems worldwide, often resulting in shifts in selection regimes. In response, natural populations sometimes undergo rapid phenotypic changes, which, if adaptive, can increase their probability of persistence. However, in many instances, populations fail to undergo any phenotypic change, which might indicate a variety of possibilities, including maladaptation. In freshwater ecosystems, the impoundment of rivers and the introduction of exotic species are among the leading threats to native fishes. We examined how the construction of the Panama Canal, which formed Lake Gatun, and the subsequent invasion of the predatory Cichla monoculus influenced the morphology of two native fishes: Astyanax ruberrimus and Roeboides spp. Us

SUBMITTER: Geladi I 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6691216 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature