Summary
Sticklebacks in Lakes Wapato and Chelan are far inland and highly isolated from other populations. They live about one year. Rainbow trout prey on sticklebacks most heavily during the winter, and this predation is random on males and females and on the three plate morphs. However, trout show strong selective predation on sticklebacks with respect to plate number. The selective advantage of seven plated sticklebacks under predation is highly significant and consistent over three years. The frequency of seven plated adults in Lake Wapato was 56 per cent. in 1968, but increased to 65 per cent. in 1969 and has since remained at about 62 per cent. This large increase coincides with the time interval when predation was heaviest and when selective predation favouring sevens was greatest. The heritabilities for number of plates and gill rakers are high, and so the values obtained for the increase in mean relative fitness show that natural selection is acting strongly on these traits. Predation acting on the variation in plate number and food specialisation acting on gill rakers are two of the major selective agents.
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Hagen, D., Gilbertson, L. Selective predation and the intensity of selection acting upon the lateral plates of threespine sticklebacks. Heredity 30, 273–287 (1973). https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1973.38
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/hdy.1973.38
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