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Hydrologic regimes as potential drivers of morphologic divergence in fish

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Abstract

Fishes often exhibit phenotypic divergence across gradients of abiotic and biotic selective pressures. In streams, many of the known selective pressures driving phenotypic differentiation are largely influenced by hydrologic regimes. Because flow regimes drive so many attributes of lotic systems, we hypothesized fish exhibit phenotypic divergence among streams with different flow regimes. We used a comparative field study to investigate the morphological divergence of Campostoma anomalom (central stonerollers) among streams characterized by highly variable, intermittent flow regimes and streams characterized by relatively stable, groundwater flow regimes. We also conducted a mesocosm experiment to compare the plastic effects of one component of flow regimes, water velocity, on morphology of fish from different flow regimes. We observed differences in shape between flow regimes likely driven by differences in allometric growth patterns. Although we observed differences in morphology across flow regimes in the field, C. anomalum did not exhibit morphologic plasticity in response to water velocity alone. This study contributes to the understanding of how complex environmental factors drive phenotypic divergence and may provide insight into the evolutionary consequences of disrupting natural hydrologic patterns, which are increasingly threatened by climate change and anthropogenic alterations.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Doug Leasure for hydrologic data and input regarding field site selection. We thank all those who assisted with field collections: Olivia Jackson, Mallory Jeffers, Sarah Nelson, Casey Ward, Allyson Yarra, and Anthony Yates. We also thank all those who helped with mesocosm set up and maintenance: Brad Austin, Robert Fournier, Nicole Graham, Dustin Lynch, and Christopher Middaugh. We would also like to thank Dr. Adam Siepielski and anonymous reviewers for providing constructive comments. All procedures performed in studies involving animals were in accordance with the ethical standards of the institution or practice at which the studies were conducted and approved under University of Arkansas Institution of Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) permit 14036. The authors have no conflicts of interest related to this research. Any use of trade, firm, or product names is for descriptive purposes only and does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA

    Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff

  2. U.S. Geological Survey, Arkansas Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA

    Daniel D. Magoulick

  3. Division of Biology, Kansas State University, 116 Ackert Hall, Manhattan, KS, 66506, USA

    Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff

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  1. Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff
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Correspondence to Lindsey A. Bruckerhoff.

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Bruckerhoff, L.A., Magoulick, D.D. Hydrologic regimes as potential drivers of morphologic divergence in fish. Evol Ecol 31, 517–531 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10682-017-9897-0

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