10.5061/DRYAD.G61D1
Sharpe, Diana M. T.
Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute
McGill University
Langerhans, R. Brian
North Carolina State University
Low-Décarie, Etienne
University of Essex
Chapman, Lauren J
McGill University
Data from: Little evidence for morphological change in a resilient endemic
species following the introduction of a novel predator
Dryad
dataset
2015
dagaa
eco-morphology
1966-2010
Contemporary Evolution
Lates niloticus
Rastrineobola argentea
mukene
introduced species
2015-08-31T15:13:07Z
2015-08-31T15:13:07Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.12720
178539 bytes
1
CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Human activities, such as species introductions, are dramatically and
rapidly altering natural ecological processes, and often result in novel
selection regimes. To date, we still have a limited understanding of the
extent to which such anthropogenic selection may be driving contemporary
phenotypic change in natural populations. Here we test whether the
introduction of the piscivorous Nile perch, Lates niloticus, into East
Africa's Lake Victoria and nearby lakes coincided with morphological
change in one resilient native prey species, the cyprinid fish
Rastrineobola argentea. Drawing on prior eco-morphological research, we
predicted that this novel predator would select for increased allocation
to the caudal region in R. argentea to enhance burst-swimming performance,
and hence escape ability. To test this prediction, we compared body
morphology of R. argentea across space (nine Ugandan lakes differing in
Nile perch invasion history) and through time (before and after
establishment of Nile perch in Lake Victoria). Spatial comparisons of
contemporary populations only partially supported our predictions, with R.
argentea from some invaded lakes having larger caudal regions and smaller
heads compared to R. argentea from uninvaded lakes. There was no clear
evidence of predator-associated change in body shape over time in Lake
Victoria. We conclude that R. argentea have not responded to the presence
of Nile perch with consistent morphological changes, and that other
factors are driving observed patterns of body shape variation in R.
argentea.
Shape variation across lakesThis file contains basic biometric data
(length, weight, sex, maturity) and raw shape data (partial warps, uniform
components, and relative warps) for R. argentea collected from Ugandan
lakes in 2010.Sharpe_mukene shape across lakes_Dryad.csvShape variation
across timeThis file contains basic biometric data (length) and raw shape
data (partial warps, uniform components, and relative warps) for R.
argentea collected from Lake Victoria from 1966 to 2010.Sharpe_mukene
shape across time_Dryad.csv
Lake Kyoga basin
Lake Victoria basin
Uganda
East Africa