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497 results for “stickleback”
Data from: Exposure to predators does not lead to the evolution of larger brains in experimental populations of threespine stickleback
Natural selection is often invoked to explain differences in brain size among vertebrates. However, the particular agents of selection that shape brain size variation remain obscure. Recent studies suggest that predators may select for larger brains because increased cognitive and sensory abilities allow prey to better elude predators. Yet, there is little direct evidence that exposure to predators causes the evolution of larger brains in prey species. We experimentally tested this prediction by exposing families of 1000-2000 F2 hybrid benthic-limnetic threespine stickleback to predators under naturalistic conditions, along with matched controls. After two generations of selection, we found that fish from the predator addition treatment had significantly smaller brains (specifically smaller telencephalons and optic lobes) than fish from the control treatment. After an additional generation of selection, we reared experimental fish in a common environment and found that this difference in brain size was maintained in the offspring of fish from the predator addition treatment. Our results provide direct experimental evidence that (a) predators can indeed drive the evolution of brain size – but not in the fashion commonly expected and (b) that the tools of experimental evolution can be used to the study the evolution of the vertebrate brain.
Data from: Responses to simulated winter conditions differ between threespine stickleback ecotypes
Abiotic factors can act as barriers to colonization and drive local adaptation. During colonization, organisms may cope with changes in abiotic factors using existing phenotypic plasticity, but the role of phenotypic plasticity in assisting or hindering the process of local adaptation remains unclear. To address these questions, we explore the role of winter conditions in driving divergence during freshwater colonization and the effects of plasticity on local adaptation in ancestral marine and derived freshwater ecotypes of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). We found that freshwater-resident stickleback had greater tolerance of acute exposure to low temperatures than marine stickleback, but these differences were abolished after acclimation to simulated winter conditions (9L:15D photoperiod at 4°C). Plasma chloride levels differed between the ecotypes, but showed a similar degree of plasticity between ecotypes. Gene expression of the epithelial calcium channel (ECaC) differed between ecotypes, with the freshwater ecotype demonstrating substantially greater expression than the marine ecotype, but there was no plasticity in this trait under these conditions in either ecotype. In contrast, growth (assessed as final mass) and the expression of an isoform of the electroneutral Na+/H+ exchanger (NHE3) exhibited substantial change with temperature in the marine ecotype that was not observed in the freshwater ecotype under the conditions tested here, which is consistent with evolution of these traits by a process such as genetic assimilation. These data demonstrate substantial divergence in many of these traits between freshwater and marine stickleback, but also illustrate the complexity of possible relationships between plasticity and local adaptation.
Data from: The impact of selection, gene flow and demographic history on heterogeneous genomic divergence: threespine sticklebacks in divergent environments
Heterogeneous genomic divergence between populations may reflect selection, but should also be seen in conjunction with gene flow and drift, particularly population bottlenecks. Marine and freshwater threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations often exhibit different lateral armor plate morphs. Moreover, strikingly parallel genomic footprints across different marine-freshwater population pairs are interpreted as parallel evolution and gene reuse. Nevertheless, in some geographic regions like the North Sea and Baltic Sea different patterns are observed. Freshwater populations in coastal regions are often dominated by marine morphs, suggesting that gene flow overwhelms selection, and genomic parallelism may also be less pronounced. We used RAD sequencing for analyzing 28,888 SNPs in two marine and seven freshwater populations in Denmark, Europe. Freshwater populations represented a variety of environments: river populations accessible to gene flow from marine sticklebacks and large and small isolated lakes with and without fish predators. Sticklebacks in an accessible river environment showed minimal morphological and genome-wide divergence from marine populations, supporting the hypothesis of gene flow overriding selection. Allele frequency spectra suggested bottlenecks in all freshwater populations, and particularly two small lake populations. However, genomic footprints ascribed to selection could nevertheless be identified. No genomic regions were consistent freshwater-marine outliers, and parallelism was much lower than in other comparable studies. Two genomic regions previously described to be under divergent selection in freshwater and marine populations were outliers between different freshwater populations. We ascribe these patterns to stronger environmental heterogeneity among freshwater populations in our study as compared to most other studies, although the demographic history involving bottlenecks should also be considered in the interpretation of results.
Data from: A test of the "flexible stem" model of evolution: ancestral plasticity, genetic accommodation, and morphological divergence in the threespine stickleback radiation
If an ancestral stem group repeatedly colonizes similar environments, developmental plasticity specific to that group should consistently give rise to similar phenotypes. Parallel selection on those similar phenotypes could lead to the repeated evolution of characteristic ecotypes, a property common to many adaptive radiations. A key prediction of this "flexible stem" model of adaptive radiation is that patterns of phenotypic divergence in derived groups should mirror patterns of developmental plasticity in their common ancestor. The threespine stickleback radiation provides an excellent opportunity to test this prediction because the marine form is representative of the ancestral stem group, which has repeatedly given rise to several characteristic ecotypes. We examined plasticity of several aspects of shape and trophic morphology in response to diets characteristic of either the derived benthic or limnetic ecotypes. When marine fish were reared on alternative diets, plasticity of head and mouth shape paralleled phenotypic divergence between the derived ecotypes, supporting the flexible stem model. Benthic and limnetic fish exhibited patterns of plasticity similar to the marine population; however, some differences in population means were present, as well as subtle differences in shape plasticity in the benthic population, indicating a role for genetic accommodation in this system.
Data from: Genetic architecture of skeletal evolution in European lake and stream stickleback
Advances in genomic techniques are greatly facilitating the study of molecular signatures of selection in diverging natural populations. Connecting these signatures to phenotypes under selection remains challenging, but benefits from dissections of the genetic architecture of adaptive divergence. We here perform quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping using 488 F2 individuals and 2011 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) to explore the genetic architecture of skeletal divergence in a lake-stream stickleback system from Central Europe. We find QTL for gill raker, snout, and head length, vertebral number, and the extent of lateral plating (plate number and height). Although two large-effect loci emerge, QTL effect sizes are generally small. Examining the neighborhood of the QTL-linked SNPs identifies several genes involved in bone formation, which emerge as strong candidate genes for skeletal evolution. Finally, we use SNP data from the natural source populations to demonstrate that some SNPs linked to QTL in our cross also exhibit striking allele frequency differences in the wild, suggesting a causal role of these QTL in adaptive population divergence. Our study paves the way for comparative analyses across other (lake-stream) stickleback populations, and for functional investigations of the candidate genes.
Data from: Effects of perceived predation risk and social environment on the development of three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) morphology
Phenotypically plastic changes in response to variation in perceived predation risk are widespread, but little is known about if and how social environment modulates induced responses to predation risk. We investigated the influence of perceived predation risk (i.e. chemical cues from a predator) and social environment (i.e. one, two or 20 individuals reared together) on three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) morphology in a factorial common garden experiment. We found that exposure to chemical cues from potential predators did not influence growth or body condition or induce more robust morphological defences (i.e. lateral plate numbers and dorsal spine lengths). However, sticklebacks exposed to predator cues developed longer caudal peduncles and larger eyes as compared with fish from the control treatment. As these responses may improve sticklebacks' ability to avoid piscine predation, they might be adaptive. Social environment/density also influenced expression of some traits, but these effects were independent of predation-risk treatment effects. In general, these results suggest that apart from the classic morphological defence structures, which appear mostly constitutive, three-spined sticklebacks are capable of expressing potentially adaptive morphological responses to chemical cues from potential predators.
Data from: Molecular evolutionary and population genomic analysis of the nine-spined stickleback using a modified restriction-site-associated DNA tag approach
In recent years, the explosion of affordable next generation sequencing technology has provided an unprecedented opportunity to conduct genome-wide studies of adaptive evolution in organisms previously lacking extensive genomic resources. Here, we characterise genome-wide patterns of variability and differentiation using pooled DNA from eight populations of the nine-spined stickleback (Pungitius pungitius L.) from marine, lake and pond environments. We developed a novel genome complexity reduction protocol, defined as paired-end double restriction-site associated DNA (PE dRAD), to maximise read coverage at sequenced locations. This allowed us to identify over 114,000 short consensus sequences and 15,000 SNPs throughout the genome. A total of 6,834 SNPs mapped to a single position on the related three-spined stickleback genome, allowing the detection of genomic regions affected by divergent and balancing selection, both between species and between freshwater and marine populations of the nine-spined stickleback. Gene ontology (GO) analysis revealed 15 genomic regions with elevated diversity, enriched for genes involved in functions including immunity, chemical stimulus response, lipid metabolism and signalling pathways. Comparisons of marine and freshwater populations identified nine regions with elevated differentiation related to kidney development, immunity and MAP kinase pathways. In addition, our analysis revealed that a large proportion of the identified SNPs mapping to LG XII are likely to represent alternative alleles from divergent X and Y chromosomes, rather than true autosomal markers following Mendelian segregation. Our work demonstrates how population-wide sequencing and combining inter- and intra-specific RAD analysis can uncover genome-wide patterns of differentiation and adaptations in a non-model species.
Accumulation of deleterious mutations in landlocked threespine stickleback populations
<p></p><p>Colonization of new habitats often reduces population sizes and may result in the accumulation of deleterious mutations by genetic drift. Compared to the genomic basis for adaptation to new environments, genome-wide analysis of deleterious mutations in isolated populations remains limited. In the present study, we investigated the accumulation of deleterious mutations in five endangered freshwater populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in the central part of the mainland of Japan. Using whole genome resequencing data, we first conducted phylogenomic analysis and confirmed at least two independent freshwater colonization events in the central mainland from ancestral marine ecotypes. Next, analyses of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) showed a substantial reduction of heterozygosity in freshwater populations compared to marine populations. Reduction in heterozygosity was more apparent at the center of each chromosome than the peripheries and on X-chromosomes compared to autosomes. Third, bioinformatic analysis of deleterious mutations showed increased accumulation of putatively deleterious mutations in the landlocked freshwater populations compared to marine populations. For the majority of populations examined, the frequencies of putatively deleterious mutations were higher on X-chromosomes than on autosomes. The inter-population comparison indicated that the majority of putatively deleterious mutations may have accumulated independently. Thus, whole genome resequencing of endangered populations can help to estimate the accumulation of deleterious mutations and inform us of which populations are the most severely endangered. Furthermore, analysis of variation among chromosomes can give insights into whether any particular chromosomes are likely to accumulate deleterious mutations.</p><p></p>
Data from: A single interacting species leads to widespread parallel evolution of the stickleback genome
Biotic interactions are potent, widespread causes of natural selection and divergent phenotypic evolution, and can lead to genetic differentiation with gene flow among wild populations ("isolation by ecology") [1-4]. Biotic selection has been predicted to act on more genes than abiotic selection thereby driving greater adaptation [5]. However, difficulties in isolating the genome-wide effect of single biotic agents of selection have limited our ability to identify and quantify the number and type of specific genetic regions responding to biotic selection [6-9]. We identified geographically interspersed lakes in which threespine stickleback fish (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have repeatedly adapted to the presence/absence of a single member of the ecological community, prickly sculpin (Cottus asper), a fish species that is both competitor and predator of stickleback [10]. Whole genome sequencing revealed that sculpin presence/absence accounted for the majority of genetic divergence among populations, more so than geography. The major axis of stickleback genomic variation within and between the two lake types was correlated with multiple traits, indicating parallel natural selection across a gradient of biotic environments. A large proportion of the genome - about 1.8%, encompassing more than 600 genes – differentiated stickleback from the two biotic environments. Divergence occurred in 141 discrete genomic clumps located mainly in regions of low recombination within the stickleback genome, suggesting that genes brought to lakes by the colonizing ancestral population often evolved together in linked blocks. Strong selection and a wealth of standing genetic variation explain how a single member of the biotic community can have such a rapid and profound evolutionary impact.
Data from: Deciphering the genomic architecture of the stickleback brain with a novel multi-locus gene-mapping approach
Quantitative traits important to organismal function and fitness, such as brain size, are presumably controlled by many small-effect loci. Deciphering the genetic architecture of such traits with traditional quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping methods is challenging. Here, we investigated the genetic architecture of brain size (and the size of five different brain parts) in nine-spined sticklebacks (Pungitius pungitius) with the aid of novel multi-locus QTL mapping approaches based on a de-biased LASSO method. Apart from having more statistical power to detect QTL and reduced rate of false positives than conventional QTL mapping approaches, the developed methods can handle large marker panels and provide estimates of genomic heritability. Single-locus analyses of an F2-interpopulation cross with 239 individuals and 15 198 fully informative single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) uncovered 79 QTL associated with variation in stickleback brain size traits. Many of these loci were in strong linkage disequilibrium (LD) with each other, and consequently, a multi-locus mapping of individual SNPs, accounting for LD structure in the data, recovered only four significant QTL. However, a multi-locus mapping of SNPs grouped by linkage group (LG) identified 14 LGs (1-6 depending on the trait) that influence variation in brain traits. For instance, 17.6% of the variation in relative brain size was explainable by cumulative effects of SNPs distributed over six LGs, whereas 42% of the variation was accounted for by all 21 LGs. Hence, the results suggest that variation in stickleback brain traits is influenced by many small-effect loci. Apart from suggesting moderately heritable (h2 ≈ 0.15-0.42) multifactorial genetic architecture of brain traits, the results highlight the challenges in identifying the loci contributing to variation in quantitative traits. Nevertheless, the results demonstrate that the novel QTL mapping approach developed here has distinctive advantages over the traditional QTL mapping methods in analyses of dense marker panels.
Data from: Fitness differences between parapatric lake and stream stickleback revealed by a field transplant
Molecular comparisons of populations diverging into ecologically different environments often reveal strong differentiation in localized genomic regions, with the remainder of the genome being weakly differentiated. This pattern of heterogeneous genomic divergence, however, is rarely connected to direct measurements of fitness differences among populations. We here do so by performing a field enclosure experiment in threespine stickleback fish residing in a lake and in three replicate adjoining streams, and displaying weak yet heterogeneous genomic divergence between these habitats. Tracking survival over 29 weeks, we consistently find that lake genotypes transplanted into the streams suffer greatly reduced viability relative to local stream genotypes and that the performance of F1 hybrid genotypes is intermediate. This observed selection against migrants and hybrids combines to a total reduction in gene flow from the lake into streams of around 80%. Overall, our study identifies a strong reproductive barrier between parapatric stickleback populations, and cautions against inferring weak fitness differences between populations exhibiting weak overall genomic differentiation.
Data from: Genetic and morphometric divergence in threespine stickleback in the Chignik catchment, Alaska
Divergent selection pressures induced by different environmental conditions typically lead to variation in life history, behaviour and morphology. When populations are locally adapted to their current environment, selection may limit movement into novel sites, leading to neutral and adaptive genetic divergence in allopatric populations. Subsequently, divergence can be reinforced by development of pre- or post-zygotic barriers to gene flow. The threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus, is a primarily marine fish that has invaded freshwater repeatedly in postglacial times. After invasion, the established freshwater populations typically show rapid diversification of several traits as they become reproductively isolated from their ancestral marine population. In this paper we examine the genetic and morphometric differentiation between sticklebacks living in an open system comprising a brackish water lagoon, two freshwater lakes, and connecting rivers. By applying a set of microsatellite markers, we disentangled the genetic relationship of the individuals across the diverse environments and identified two genetic populations: one associated with brackish and the other with the freshwater environments. The 'brackish' sticklebacks were larger and had a different body shape than those in freshwater. However, we found evidence for upstream migration from the brackish lagoon into the freshwater environments, as fish that were genetically and morphometrically similar to the lagoon fish were found in all freshwater sampling sites. Regardless, few F1-hybrids were identified and it therefore appears that some pre- and/or post-zygotic barriers to gene flow rather than geographic distance are causing the divergence in this system.
Data from: Heterogeneous genomic differentiation in marine threespine sticklebacks: adaptation along an environmental gradient
Evolutionary divergence among populations occupying ecologically distinct environments can occur even in the face of on-going gene flow. However, the genetic underpinnings, as well as the scale and magnitude at which this differentiation occurs in marine habitats are not well understood. We investigated the patterns and degree of genomic heterogeneity in threespine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) by assessing genetic variability in 20 nongenic and 20 genic (associated with genes important for freshwater adaptation) microsatellite loci in samples collected from 38 locations spanning the entire Baltic Sea coast to the North Sea boundary. Population divergence (FST ≈ 0.026) and structuring (five genetic clusters) was significantly more pronounced in the genic as compared to nongenic markers (FST ≈ 0.008; no genetic clusters). Patterns of divergence in the genic markers—45% of which were identified as outliers—correlated with local differences in salinity. Yet, a strong positive correlation between divergence in genic and nongenic markers, and their association with environmental factors suggests that adaptive divergence is reducing gene flow across the genome. Apart from providing a clear demonstration of heterogeneous genomic patterns of differentiation in a marine species, the results are indicative of adaptive population structuring across the relatively young Baltic Sea in spite of ample opportunities for gene flow.
Data from: When phenotypes do not match genotypes – unexpected phenotypic diversity and potential environmental constraints in Icelandic stickleback
Divergent lateral plate phenotypes in stickleback represent one of only a few cases known where a single gene underlies the phenotype under divergent selection between different habitats. However, the selection pressures leading to the repeated loss of lateral plates in freshwater are still not well understood. By genotyping 838 individuals from nine independently colonized lakes and one marine population in Iceland, we found i) that only in some lakes are phenotypes associated with the expected genotype and ii) that the independent repeated occurrence of a rarely described plate phenotype is expressed in the absence of an allele that is usually associated with this phenotype. This suggests that either other genes such as modifiers might be under divergent selection between lakes or that lateral plate expression in these populations is restricted due to environmental constraints.
Data from: Resist globally, infect locally: a transcontinental test of adaptation by stickleback and their tapeworm parasite
Parasite infections are a product of both ecological processes affecting host-parasite encounter rates and evolutionary dynamics affecting host susceptibility. However, few studies examine natural infection variation from both ecological and evolutionary perspectives. Here, we describe the ecological and evolutionary factors generating variation in infection rates by a tapeworm (Schistocephalus solidus) in a vertebrate host, the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). To explore ecological aspects of infection, we measured tapeworm prevalence in Canadian stickleback inhabiting two distinct environments: marine and freshwater. Consistent with ecological control of infection, the tapeworm is very rare in marine environments, even though marine fish are highly susceptible. Conversely, commonly infected freshwater stickleback exhibit substantial resistance in controlled laboratory trials, suggesting that high exposure risk overwhelms their recently evolved resistance. We also tested for parasite adaptation to its host by performing transcontinental reciprocal infections, using stickleback and tapeworm populations from Europe and western Canada. More infections occurred in same-continent host-parasite combinations, indicating parasite "local" adaptation, at least on the scale of continents. However, the recently evolved immunity of freshwater hosts applies to both local and foreign parasites. The pattern of adaptation described here is not wholly compatible with either of the common models of host-parasite coevolution (i.e., matching infection or targeted recognition). Instead, we propose a hybrid, eco-evolutionary model to explain the remarkable pattern of global host resistance and local parasite infectivity.
Adaptive divergence and the evolution of hybrid trait mismatch in threespine stickleback
<p>Selection against mismatched traits in hybrids is the phenotypic analogue of intrinsic hybrid incompatibilities. Mismatch occurs when hybrids resemble one parent population for some phenotypic traits and the other parent population for other traits, and is caused by dominance in opposing directions or from segregation of alleles in recombinant hybrids. In this study, we used threespine stickleback fish (<i>Gasterosteus aculeatus</i> L.) to test the theoretical prediction that trait mismatch in hybrids should increase with the magnitude of phenotypic divergence between parent populations. We measured morphological traits in parents and hybrids in crosses between a marine population representing the ancestral form and twelve freshwater populations that have diverged from this ancestral state to varying degrees according to their environments. We found that trait mismatch was greater in more divergent crosses for both F<sub>1</sub> and F<sub>2</sub> hybrids. In the F<sub>1</sub> the divergence--mismatch relationship was caused by traits having dominance in different directions, whereas it was caused by increasing segregating phenotypic variation in the F<sub>2</sub>. Our results imply that extrinsic hybrid incompatibilities accumulate as phenotypic divergence proceeds.</p>
Analysis of ancestry heterozygosity suggests that hybrid incompatibilities in threespine stickleback are environment-dependent
<p>Hybrid incompatibilities occur when interactions between opposite-ancestry alleles at different loci reduce the fitness of hybrids. Most work on incompatibilities has focused on those that are 'intrinsic', meaning they affect viability and sterility in the laboratory. Theory predicts that ecological selection can also underlie hybrid incompatibilities, but tests of this hypothesis using sequence data are scarce. In this article, we compiled genetic data for F<sub>2</sub> hybrid crosses between divergent populations of threespine stickleback fish (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em> L.) that were born and raised in either the field (semi-natural experimental ponds) or the laboratory (aquaria). Because selection against incompatibilities results in elevated ancestry heterozygosity, we tested the prediction that ancestry heterozygosity will be higher in pond-raised fish compared to those raised in aquaria. We found that ancestry heterozygosity was elevated by approximately 3% in crosses raised in ponds compared to those raised in aquaria. Additional analyses support a phenotypic basis for incompatibility and suggest that environment-specific single-locus heterozygote advantage is not the cause of selection on ancestry heterozygosity. Our study provides evidence that, in stickleback, a coarse—albeit indirect—signal of environment-dependent hybrid incompatibility is reliably detectable and suggests that extrinsic incompatibilities can evolve before intrinsic incompatibilities.</p>
Genomic data from: Are you ready for the heat? Phenotypic plasticity vs adaptation of heat tolerance in three-spined stickleback
<p>Heat waves constitute a challenge for aquatic ectotherms. However, the thermal tolerance of animals and their individual phenotypic plasticity to respond to heat waves may be influenced by thermal history. We tested these hypotheses by comparing the upper thermal tolerance and the individual capacities of three-spined sticklebacks from populations with different thermal histories to respond to heat waves. Two populations originated from thermally polluted nuclear power plant (NPP) habitats, while four locations represented geographically adjacent control areas. To disentangle the genetic adaptation from the phenotypic plastic response, we measured the individual upper thermal tolerance and the responses at molecular level in common garden conditions before and after a laboratory-mimicked heat wave. We found that the sticklebacks exhibit considerable phenotypic plasticity in thermal tolerance since the heat wave increased fish upper thermal tolerance significantly. The individual plasticity to respond to the heat wave was also negatively correlated to initial thermal tolerance. On the other hand, neither the thermal tolerance nor the plastic responses differed between NPP and control sites despite detection of significant but low genome-wide divergence in 10 out of 15 pairwise comparisons. Our results suggest that five decades of nuclear power plant activity with warmer water has not resulted in a detectable evolutionary change in either the upper thermal tolerance or its plasticity in three-spined sticklebacks potentially rendering them sensitive to frequent heat waves.</p>
No signs of behavioral evolution of threespine stickleback following northern pike invasion
<p>Invasive predators often impose devastating selection pressures on native prey species. However, their effects can be regionally-dependent and influenced by local ecological conditions of their invaded habitats. Evolved behavioral phenotypes are important mechanisms by which prey adapt to the presence of novel predators. Here, we asked how behavior and behavioral plasticity of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations have evolved following the introduction of the invasive predator, northern pike (Esox lucius). We examined the behavior of F1 offspring generated from three pike-free and three pike-invaded populations, and measured how stickleback activity and refuge use behaviors, and their plasticity, have evolved following pike introduction. To evaluate plasticity, we exposed juvenile stickleback to predator cues during their first year of development, and then evaluated how this repeated exposure influenced behavioral responses to an artificial predation event. We found no overarching effect of pike in either evolved behaviors or behavioral plasticity, and no evidence for the presence of developmental plasticity. Furthermore, we that depending on the phenotype, pike-invaded stickleback populations have either more, or less among-population variation than pike-free populations. Our results suggest that evolution in response to an invasive predator may be hidden by local adaptation when enough populations are studied.</p>
Are behavioural responses to eyespots in sticklebacks influenced by the visual environment? An experimental examination
<p>Eyespots are taxonomically widespread colour patterns consisting of large concentric rings that are commonly assumed to protect prey by influencing the behaviours of predators. Although there is ample experimental evidence supporting an anti-predator function of eyespots in terrestrial animals, whether eyespots have a similar deterring function in aquatic animals remains unclear. Furthermore, studies in terrestrial systems suggest that the protective function of eyespots depends on ambient light conditions where predators encounter them, but this effect was never been tested in aquatic environments. Here, we examine how eyespots influence behavioural responses in an aquatic environment under different visual environments, using laboratory-reared three-spined sticklebacks (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>) as model predators. Specifically, we experimentally examined behavioural responses of sticklebacks towards artificial prey patterns (control vs eyespots) under two different light environment treatments (low vs high). We found that eyespots did not postpone attacks from sticklebacks. However, sticklebacks approaching eyespots stopped more frequently than sticklebacks approaching prey items with a control pattern. Sticklebacks were (marginally) slower to attack prey in the low light treatment, but light level did not influence stickleback behavioural responses towards eyespots. We conclude that that eyespots can modulate some behaviours of an aquatic predator, albeit with a different functional role than previously demonstrated in terrestrial species.</p>
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