Extreme selection on size in the early lives of fish.

Evolution

School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Stony Brook, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA.

Published: August 2010

Although fitness typically increases with body size and selection gradients on size are generally positive, much of this information comes from terrestrial taxa. In the early life history of fish, there is evidence of selection both for and against larger size, leaving open the question of whether the general pattern for terrestrial taxa is valid for fish. We reviewed studies of size-dependent survival in the early life history of fish and obtained estimates of standardized selection differentials from 40 studies. We found that 77% of estimated selection differentials favored larger size and that the strength of selection was more than five times that seen in terrestrial taxa. Selection decreased with study period duration and initial length, and disruptive selection occurred significantly more frequently than stabilizing selection. Contrary to expectations from Bergmann's rule, selection on size did not increase with latitude.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2010.00994.xDOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

terrestrial taxa
12
selection
9
selection size
8
early life
8
life history
8
history fish
8
larger size
8
selection differentials
8
size
6
extreme selection
4

Similar Publications

Characterizing deep subsurface microbial communities informs our understanding of Earth's biogeochemistry as well as the search for life beyond the Earth. Here we characterized microbial communities within the Kidd Creek Observatory subsurface fracture water system with mean residence times of hundreds of millions to over one billion years. 16S rRNA analysis revealed that biosamplers well isolated from the mine environment were dominated by a putatively anaerobic and halophilic bacterial species from the family, Frackibacter.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The significance of forelimb morphology has been discussed with a focus on specific morphological aspects; nonetheless, the correlation of overall morphology, including various linear measurements, with respect to ecological preference and adaptation has not been extensively explored, particularly using multiple taxa. We investigated the morphological characteristics of the long bones in the forelimbs of mammalian species and their relationship with specific functional adaptations using 20 linear measurements and 22 terrestrial species from 7 orders. Principal component analysis and canonical discriminant analysis showed that the lengths of the humerus, radius, and ulna as well as the distance from the smallest width to the proximal and distal ends, and the deltoid tuberosity length distinguished four adaptations: arboreal, terrestrial, fossorial, and semi-aquatic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The diversity-generating retroelements (DGRs) are a family of genetic elements that can produce mutations in target genes often related to ligand-binding functions, which possess a C-type lectin (CLec) domain that tolerates massive variations. They were first identified in viruses, then in bacteria and archaea from human-associated and environmental genomes. This DGR mechanism represents a fast adaptation of organisms to ever- changing environments.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Balancing increasing demand for wood products while also maintaining forest biodiversity is a paramount challenge. Europe's Biodiversity and Forest Strategies for 2030 attempt to address this challenge. Together, they call for strict protection of 10% of land area, including all primary and old growth forests, increasing use of ecological forestry, and less reliance on monocultural plantations.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Tramway Ridge, a geothermal Antarctic Specially Protected Area (elevation 3340 m) located near the summit of Mount Erebus, is home to a unique community composed of cosmopolitan surface-associated micro-organisms and abundant, poorly understood subsurface-associated microorganisms. Here, we use shotgun metagenomics to compare the functional capabilities of this community to those found elsewhere on Earth and to infer in situ diversity and metabolic capabilities of abundant subsurface taxa.

Results: We found that the functional potential in this community is most similar to that found in terrestrial hydrothermal environments (hot springs, sediments) and that the two dominant organisms in the subsurface carry high rates of in situ diversity which was taken as evidence of potential endemicity.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!