Abstract:
:Bahamas mosquitofish (Gambusia hubbsi) colonized blue holes during the past approximately 15 000 years and exhibit relatively larger caudal regions in blue holes that contain piscivorous fish. It is hypothesized that larger caudal regions enhance fast-start escape performance and thus reflect an adaptation for avoiding predation. Here I test this hypothesis using a three-pronged, experimental approach. First, G. hubbsi from blue holes with predators were found to possess both greater fast-start performance and greater survivorship in the presence of predatory fish. Second, using individual-level data to investigate the morphology-performance-fitness pathway, I found that (i) fish with larger caudal regions produced higher fast-start performance and (ii) fish with higher fast-start performance enjoyed greater survivorship in the presence of fish predators-trends consistently observed across both predator regimes. Finally, I found that morphological divergence between predator regimes at least partially reflects genetic differentiation, as differences were retained in fish raised in a common laboratory environment. These results suggest that natural selection favours increased fast-start performance in the presence of piscivorous fish, consequently driving the evolution of larger caudal regions. Combined with previous work, this provides functional insight into body shape divergence and ecological speciation among Bahamian blue holes.
journal_name
Biol Lettjournal_title
Biology lettersauthors
Langerhans RBdoi
10.1098/rsbl.2009.0179subject
Has Abstractpub_date
2009-08-23 00:00:00pages
488-91issue
4eissn
1744-9561issn
1744-957Xpii
rsbl.2009.0179journal_volume
5pub_type
杂志文章相关文献
Biology Letters文献大全abstract::Biodiversity affects ecosystem function, and how this relationship will change in a warming world is a major and well-examined question in ecology. Yet, it remains understudied for pico-phytoplankton communities, which contribute to carbon cycles and aquatic food webs year-round. Observational studies show a link betw...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2020.0330
更新日期:2020-08-01 00:00:00
abstract::The ecological traits and functional capabilities of marine animals have changed significantly since their origin in the late Precambrian. These changes can be analysed quantitatively using multi-dimensional parameter spaces in which the ecological lifestyles of species are represented by particular combinations of pa...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0641
更新日期:2012-02-23 00:00:00
abstract::Coevolution with parasites is thought to maintain genetic diversity in host populations. However, while there are sound theoretical reasons to expect heterozygosity and parasite resistance to be related, this pattern has generally been shown only in inbred laboratory and island populations. This leaves doubt as to whe...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2004.0264
更新日期:2005-03-22 00:00:00
abstract::Theories of extreme lifespan evolution in vertebrates commonly implicate large size and predator-free environments together with physiological characteristics like low metabolism and high protection against oxidative damages. Here, we show that the 'human fish' (olm, Proteus anguinus), a small cave salamander (weighin...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0539
更新日期:2011-02-23 00:00:00
abstract::The workshop 'Species distribution models: applications, challenges and perspectives' held at Belo Horizonte (Brazil), 29-30 August 2011, aimed to review the state-of-the-art in species distribution modelling (SDM) in the neotropical realm. It brought together researchers in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conser...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type:
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0942
更新日期:2012-06-23 00:00:00
abstract::Dispersal is an important mechanism used to avoid inbreeding. However, dispersal may only be effective for part of an individual's lifespan since, post-dispersal individuals that breed over multiple reproductive events may risk mating with kin of the philopatric sex as they age. We tested this hypothesis in black grou...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0379
更新日期:2011-12-23 00:00:00
abstract::The length of telomeres, the protective caps of chromosomes, is increasingly used as a biomarker of individual health state because it has been shown to predict chances of survival in a range of endothermic species including humans. Oxidative stress is presumed to be a major cause of telomere shortening, but most evid...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章,评审
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2017.0463
更新日期:2017-12-01 00:00:00
abstract::Sex ratio evolution relies on genetic variation in either the phenotypic traits that influence sex ratios or sex-determining mechanisms. However, consistent variation among females in offspring sex ratio is rarely investigated. Here, we show that female painted dragons (Ctenophorus pictus) have highly repeatable sex r...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0526
更新日期:2006-12-22 00:00:00
abstract::Various vertebrate species use relative numerosity judgements in comparative assessments of quantities for which they use larger/smaller relationships rather than absolute number. The numerical ability of honeybees shares basic properties with that of vertebrates but their use of absolute or relative numerosity has no...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2019.0138
更新日期:2019-06-28 00:00:00
abstract::The associations between habitat and other factors that lead to the risk of bovine tuberculosis (bTB) in diary cattle were examined in an unmatched case-control study. Data from 60 herds with recent history of bTB and 60 controls were analysed using logistic regression. The predictors included farmland habitat, topogr...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0461
更新日期:2006-06-22 00:00:00
abstract::Predictions of future species' ranges under climate change are needed for conservation planning, for which species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used. However, global climate model-based (GCM) output grids can bias the area identified as suitable when these are used as SDM predictor variables, because GCM outp...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2008.0476
更新日期:2009-02-23 00:00:00
abstract::Lateralization is a well-described phenomenon in humans and other vertebrates and there are interesting parallels across a variety of different vertebrate species. However, there are only a few studies of lateralization in invertebrates. In a recent report, we showed lateralization of olfactory learning in the honeybe...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0466
更新日期:2008-02-23 00:00:00
abstract::The aerodynamic force on flying insects results from the vortical flow structures that vary both spatially and temporally throughout flight. Due to these complexities and the inherent difficulties in studying flying insects in a natural setting, a complete picture of the vortical flow has been difficult to obtain expe...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0198
更新日期:2018-05-01 00:00:00
abstract::Terrestrial arthropods, at constant risk from desiccation, are highly sensitive to atmospheric temperature and humidity. A physiological marker of these abiotic conditions could highlight phenotypic adaptations, indicate niche partitioning, and predict responses to climate change for a group representing three-quarter...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.1171
更新日期:2011-08-23 00:00:00
abstract::Anthropogenic impacts are believed to be the primary threats to the eastern Australian population of grey nurse sharks (Carcharias taurus), which is listed as critically endangered, and the most threatened population globally. Analyses of 235 polymorphic amplified fragment length polymorphisms (AFLP) loci and 700 base...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2006.0441
更新日期:2006-06-22 00:00:00
abstract::A recent study showed that a critically endangered migratory predator species, the Balearic shearwater Puffinus mauretanicus, rapidly expanded northwards in northeast Atlantic waters after the mid-1990s. As a significant positive correlation was found between the long-term changes in the abundance of this seabird and ...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.0225
更新日期:2011-10-23 00:00:00
abstract::Parasites represent ideal models for unravelling biogeographic patterns and mechanisms of diversification on islands. Both host-mediated dispersal and within-island adaptation can shape parasite island assemblages. In this study, we examined patterns of genetic diversity and structure of Ornithodoros seabird ticks wit...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2012.0179
更新日期:2012-08-23 00:00:00
abstract::Patterns of population genetic variation have frequently been understood as consequences of life history covariates such as dispersal ability and breeding systems (e.g. selfing). For example, marine invertebrates show enormous variation in life history traits that are correlated with the extent of gene flow between po...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2005.0353
更新日期:2005-12-22 00:00:00
abstract::The fauna of ancient lakes frequently contains taxa with highly derived morphologies that resulted from in situ radiation of lacustrine lineages with high antiquity. We employed a molecular mtDNA phylogeny to investigate this claim for corbiculid freshwater bivalves in two ancient lake systems on the Indonesian island...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2005.0410
更新日期:2006-03-22 00:00:00
abstract::Agricultural intensification is a leading cause of global biodiversity loss, especially for threatened and near-threatened species. One widely implemented response is 'wildlife-friendly farming', involving the close integration of conservation and extensive farming practices within agricultural landscapes. However, th...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2012.0367
更新日期:2012-10-23 00:00:00
abstract::Parental effects have been shown to buffer the negative effects of within-generation exposure to ocean acidification (OA) conditions on the offspring of shallow water marine organisms. However, it remains unknown if parental effects will be impacted by the presence of diel CO2 cycles that are prevalent in many shallow...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0724
更新日期:2019-02-28 00:00:00
abstract::The somasteroids are Lower Palaeozoic star-shaped animals widely regarded as ancestors of Asterozoa, the group of echinoderms that includes brittle stars and starfish. However, the origin of asterozoans, the assembly of their distinctive body organization, and their relationships with other Cambrian and Ordovician ech...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2020.0809
更新日期:2021-01-01 00:00:00
abstract::Prior to the 1920s, the northeast Arctic (NA) cod were caught at spawning grounds ranging from the southernmost to the northernmost parts of the Norwegian coast, but have for the last 50 yr mainly been caught around the Lofoten archipelago and northwards. The NA cod have their feeding and nursery grounds in the Barent...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2009.0789
更新日期:2010-04-23 00:00:00
abstract::Dispersal is usually associated with the spread of invasive species, but it also has two opposing effects, one decreasing and the other increasing the probability of establishment. Indeed, dispersal both slows population growth at the site of introduction and increases the likelihood of surrounding habitat being colon...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2016.0704
更新日期:2016-11-01 00:00:00
abstract::A large number of episodes of forest mortality associated with drought and heat stress have been detected worldwide in recent decades, suggesting that some of the world's forested ecosystems may be already responding to climate change. Here, we summarize a special session titled 'Drought-induced forest decline: causes...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type:
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.1059
更新日期:2012-10-23 00:00:00
abstract::Eavesdropping on communication is widespread among animals, e.g. bystanders observing male-male contests, female mate choice copying and predator detection of prey cues. Some animals also exhibit signal matching, e.g. overlapping of competitors' acoustic signals in aggressive interactions. Fewer studies have examined ...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2011.1096
更新日期:2012-06-23 00:00:00
abstract::In April 2006, a dedicated survey of bowhead whales (Balaena mysticetus) was conducted on the former whaling ground in West Greenland to determine the current wintering population abundance. This effort included a double platform aerial survey design, satellite tracking of the movements of nine whales, and estimation ...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2007.0310
更新日期:2007-10-22 00:00:00
abstract::The brilliant red, orange and yellow colours of parrot feathers are the product of psittacofulvins, which are synthetic pigments known only from parrots. Recent evidence suggests that some pigments in bird feathers function not just as colour generators, but also preserve plumage integrity by increasing the resistance...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2010.0716
更新日期:2011-04-23 00:00:00
abstract::Many species exhibit prosocial behaviour, in which one individual's actions benefit another individual, often without an immediate benefit to itself. The neuropeptide oxytocin is an important hormonal mechanism influencing prosociality in mammals, but it is unclear whether the avian homologue mesotocin plays a similar...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0105
更新日期:2018-04-01 00:00:00
abstract::Tropical forests are experiencing structural changes that may reduce carbon storage potential. The recent increase in liana abundance and biomass is one such potential change. Lianas account for approximately 25 per cent of woody stems and may have a strong impact on tree dynamics because severe liana infestation redu...
journal_title:Biology letters
pub_type: 杂志文章
doi:10.1098/rsbl.2013.0301
更新日期:2013-06-19 00:00:00