Implications of stunting on morphology of freshwater fishes
The purpose of this study was to assess morphological differences between stunted and non-stunted white perch Morone americana and green sunfish Lepomis cyanellus. Few female M. americana were captured; thus, morphological differences between adult males and juveniles were assessed for M. americana. Similarly, few immature (juvenile) L. cyanellus were captured for the stunted morphotype; thus, male and female morphological differences were assessed for L. cyanellus. Features of the head tended to be relatively larger in stunted fish of both species, whereas the mid-body tended to be relatively larger in non-stunted M. americana, but not in non-stunted L. cyanellus. Adult and juvenile morphology overlapped considerably in non-stunted M. americana, but there was a clear distinction between adult and juvenile morphology of stunted M. americana. There was little sexual dimorphism in shape in stunted L. cyanellus, whereas sexual dimorphism was evident in non-stunted L. cyanellus. It appears that selective forces imposed by predation and food limitation may contribute to morphological diversification between stunted and non-stunted fishes. ?? 2010 The Authors. Journal compilation ?? 2010 The Fisheries Society of the British Isles.
Citation Information
Publication Year | 2010 |
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Title | Implications of stunting on morphology of freshwater fishes |
DOI | 10.1111/j.1095-8649.2009.02498.x |
Authors | C.J. Chizinski, K.L. Pope, G.R. Wilde, R. E. Strauss |
Publication Type | Article |
Publication Subtype | Journal Article |
Series Title | Journal of Fish Biology |
Index ID | 70034026 |
Record Source | USGS Publications Warehouse |