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Habitat effects on intra-species variation in functional morphology: Evidence from freshwater fish.

ABSTRACT: Biotic-environment interactions have long been considered an important factor in functional phenotype differentiation in organisms. The differentiation processes determining functional phenotypes can reveal important mechanisms yielding differences in specific functions of animal traits in the ecosystem. In the present study, we examined functional morphological variations in relation to increasing geographic altitude. Six fish species were examined for how environment factors affect intra-specific functional morphology in the subtropical Pearl River in southern China. Functional morphology traits revealed variable effects due to geographic elevation, although spatial autocorrelation existed among the species tested. The results showed that high-elevation individuals had a more narrow-bodied morphology, with more flexible maneuvrability when swimming, and more evenly distributed musculature than low-elevation individuals. Low-elevation individuals preyed upon larger food sources than high-elevation individuals in some species. Fish functional morphology was strongly affected by regional environmental factors (such as elevation and water temperature) and physical characteristics of local rivers (such as flow velocity, river fractals, and coefficients of fluvial facies). In addition, the effects of the regional factors were stronger than those of the local factors in the Pearl River. Furthermore, it was found that morphological traits associated with locomotion were primarily effected by the river's physical characteristics. While morphological traits associated with food acquisition were primarily affected by water chemical factors (such as DO, water clarity, NH 4-N concentration, and TDS). These results demonstrated that habitat has an influence on the biological morphology of fish species, which further affects the functioning of the organism within the ecosystem.

SUBMITTER: Shuai F

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6262925 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Habitat effects on intra-species variation in functional morphology: Evidence from freshwater fish.

Shuai Fangmin F Yu Shixiao S Lek Sovan S Li Xinhui X

Ecology and evolution 20181025 22

Biotic-environment interactions have long been considered an important factor in functional phenotype differentiation in organisms. The differentiation processes determining functional phenotypes can reveal important mechanisms yielding differences in specific functions of animal traits in the ecosystem. In the present study, we examined functional morphological variations in relation to increasing geographic altitude. Six fish species were examined for how environment factors affect intra-speci ...[more]

PMID: 30519416

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Project description:Invasions of Ponto-Caspian fish species into north-western European river basins accelerated since the opening of the Rhine-Main-Danube Canal in 1992. Since 2002, at least five Ponto-Caspian alien fish species have arrived in The Netherlands. Four species belong to the Gobiidae family (Neogobius fluviatilis, Neogobius melanostomus, Ponticola kessleri, and Proterorhinus semilunaris) and one to the Cyprinidae family (Romanogobio belingi). These species are expected to be potentially deleterious for the populations of four native benthic fish species: Gobio gobio (Cyprinidae), Barbatula barbatula (Nemacheilidae), Cottus perifretum, and C. rhenanus (Cottidae). Invasion success may be dependent on competitive trophic interactions with native species, which are enabled and/or constrained by feeding-related morphological traits. Twenty-two functional feeding traits were measured in nine species (in total 90 specimens). These traits were quantitatively linked to the mechanical, chemical and behavioral properties of a range of aquatic resource categories, using a previously developed food-fish model (FFM). The FFM was used to predict the trophic profile (TP) of each fish: the combined capacities to feed on each of the resource types. The most extreme TPs belonged to three alien species, indicating that they were most specialized among the studied species. Of these three, only P. kessleri overlapped with the two native Cottus species, indicating potential trophic competition. N. fluviatilis and R. belingi did not show any overlap, indicating that there is low trophic competition. The two remaining alien goby species (N. melanostomus and P. semilunaris) had average TPs and could be considered generalist feeders. They overlapped with each other and with G. gobio and B. barbatula, indicating potential trophic competition. This study suggests that both generalist and specialist species can be successful invaders. Since the FFM predicts potential interactions between species, it provides a tool to support horizon scanning and rapid risk assessments of alien species.

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Habitat effects on intra-species variation in functional morphology: Evidence from freshwater fish.

Publications

Habitat effects on intra-species variation in functional morphology: Evidence from freshwater fish.

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