Eco-evo-devo in the Study of Adaptive Divergence: Examples from Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Landscape Genetics of Schistocephalus solidus Parasites in Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from Alaska

The nature of gene flow in parasites with complex life cycles is poorly understood, particularly when intermediate and definitive hosts have contrasting movement potential. We examined whether the fine-scale population genetic structure of the diphyllobothriidean cestode Schistocephalus solidus reflects the habits of intermediate threespine stickleback hosts or those of its definitive hosts, se...

Fast Evolution from Precast Bricks: Genomics of Young Freshwater Populations of Threespine Stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus

Adaptation is driven by natural selection; however, many adaptations are caused by weak selection acting over large timescales, complicating its study. Therefore, it is rarely possible to study selection comprehensively in natural environments. The threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) is a well-studied model organism with a short generation time, small genome size, and many genetic a...

Divergence in thyroid hormone concentrations between juveniles of marine and stream ecotypes of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Background: Hormones regulate the expression of multiple phenotypic traits. Therefore, divergence in hormone concentrations may lead to evolutionary changes in the coordinated physiological and behavioural traits that comprise an organism’s integrated phenotype. Adults of marine ecotypes of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have higher concentrations of the thyroid hormone thyroxi...

Salinity-induced phenotypic plasticity in lateral bony plate number of the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

Phenotypic plasticity of the threespine stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus telencephalon in response to experi- ence in captivity

Threespine stickleback were used to examine phenotypic plasticity of telencephala in relation to inferred ecology. Fish from derived, allopatric, freshwater populations were sampled from three shallow, structurally complex lakes with benthic-foraging stickleback (benthics) and from three deep, structurally simple lakes with planktivores (limnetics). The telencephalon of specimens preserved imme...