Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
497
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.7.1
Dataset results
497 results for “stickleback”
Heterogeneous histories of recombination suppression on stickleback sex chromosomes
<p>How consistent are the evolutionary trajectories of sex chromosomes shortly after they form? Insights into the evolution of recombination, differentiation, and degeneration can be provided by comparing closely related species with homologous sex chromosomes. The sex chromosomes of the threespine stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>) and its sister species, the Japan Sea stickleback (<em>G. nipponicus)</em>, have been well characterized. Little is known, however, about the sex chromosomes of their congener, the blackspotted stickleback (<em>G. wheatlandi</em>). We used pedigrees to obtain experimentally phased whole genome sequences from blackspotted stickleback X and Y chromosomes. Using multispecies gene trees and analysis of shared duplications, we demonstrate that Chromosome 19 is the ancestral sex chromosome and that its oldest stratum evolved in the common ancestor of the genus. After the blackspotted lineage diverged, its sex chromosomes experienced independent and more extensive recombination suppression, greater X-Y differentiation, and a much higher rate of Y degeneration than the other two species. These patterns may result from a smaller effective population size in the blackspotted stickleback. A recent fusion between the ancestral blackspotted stickleback Y chromosome and Chromosome 12, which produced a neo-X and neo-Y, may have been favored by the very small size of the recombining region on the ancestral sex chromosome. We identify six strata on the ancestral and neo-sex chromosomes where recombination between the X and Y ceased at different times. These results confirm that sex chromosomes can evolve large differences within and between species over short evolutionary timescales.</p>
Cestode infection facilitates co-infection by other parasites in a metapopulation of threespine stickleback
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Parasitic infections are a global occurrence and impact the health of many species. Co-infections, where two or more species of parasite are present in a host, are a common phenomenon across species. Co-infecting parasites can interact directly or indirectly via their manipulation of (and susceptibility to) the immune system of their shared host. Helminths, such as the cestode <i>Schistocephalus solidus</i>, are well known to suppress immunity of their host (threespine stickleback), potentially facilitating other parasite species. Yet, hosts can evolve a more robust immune response (as seen in some stickleback populations), potentially turning facilitation into inhibition. Using wild-caught stickleback from 21 populations with non-zero <i>S. solidus</i> prevalence, we show there is an overall tendency towards facilitation: individuals with <i>S. solidus</i> infections have 28% higher diversity of other parasites, compared to <i>S. solidus</i>-uninfected individuals from the corresponding lakes. This facilitation effect, however, is stronger in lakes where <i>S. solidus</i> is particularly successful but tends towards inhibition in lakes with sparse and smaller cestodes (indicative of stronger host immune response). These results illustrate how even a single parasite species can vary geographically in their capacity for facilitation or inhibition of co-infections.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Dataset for: Sensory environment affects Icelandic threespine stickleback's anti-predator escape behaviour
<p>Human-induced changes in climate and habitats push populations to adapt to novel environments, including new sensory conditions, such as reduced visibility. We studied how colonizing newly formed glacial lakes with turbidity-induced low visibility affects anti-predator behaviour in Icelandic threespine sticklebacks. We tested nearly 400 fish from 15 populations and four habitat types varying in visibility and colonization history in their reaction to two predator cues (mechano-visual versus olfactory) in high versus low visibility light treatments. Fish reacted differently to the cues and were affected by lighting environment, confirming that cue modality and light levels are important for predator detection and evasion. Spring-fed fish, especially from the highlands (likely more diverged from marine fish than lowland fish) reacted fastest to mechano-visual cues and were generally most active. Highland glacial fish showed strong responses to olfactory cues and, counter to predictions from the flexible stem hypothesis, the greatest plasticity in response to light levels. This study, leveraging natural, repeated invasions of novel sensory habitats, 1) illustrates rapid changes in antipredator behaviour that follow due to adaptation, early life experience, or both, and 2) suggests an additional role for behavioural plasticity enabling population persistence in the face of frequent changes in environmental conditions.</p>
Evolution of thermal physiology alters the projected range of threespine stickleback under climate change
<p>Species distribution models (SDMs) are widely used to predict range shifts but could be unreliable under climate change scenarios because they do not account for evolution. The thermal physiology of a species is a key determinant of range and thus incorporating thermal trait evolution into SDMs might be expected to alter projected ranges. We identified a genetic basis for physiological and behavioural traits that evolve in response to temperature change in natural populations of threespine stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>). Using these data, we created geographic range projections using a mechanistic niche envelope approach under two climate change scenarios. Under both scenarios, trait data was either static ('no evolution' model), allowed to evolve at observed evolutionary rates for the trait ('evolution' model), or allowed to evolve at a rate of evolution scaled in association with the variance that is explained by quantitative trait loci (QTL; 'scaled evolution' models). We show that incorporating these traits and their evolution substantially altered the projected ranges for a widespread panmictic marine population, with over 7-fold increases in area under climate change projections when traits are allowed to evolve. Evolution-informed SDMs should improve the precision of forecasting range dynamics under climate change, and aid in their application to management and the protection of biodiversity.</p>
Data from: Repeatability of adaptive radiation depends on spatial scale: regional versus global replicates of stickleback in lake versus stream habitats
The repeatability of adaptive radiation is expected to be scale dependent, with determinism decreasing as greater spatial separation among "replicates" leads to their increased genetic and ecological independence. Threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) provide an opportunity to test whether this expectation holds for the early stages of adaptive radiation -their diversification in freshwater ecosystems has been replicated many times. To better understand the repeatability of that adaptive radiation, we examined the influence of geographic scale on levels of parallel evolution by quantifying phenotypic and genetic divergence between lake and stream stickleback pairs sampled at regional (Vancouver Island) and global (North America and Europe) scales. We measured phenotypes known to show lake-stream divergence and used reduced representation genome-wide sequencing to estimate genetic divergence. We assessed the scale-dependence of parallel evolution by comparing effect sizes from multivariate models and also the direction and magnitude of lake-stream divergence vectors. At the phenotypic level, parallelism was greater at the regional than the global scale. At the genetic level, putative selected loci showed greater lake-stream parallelism at the regional than the global scale. Generally, the level of parallel evolution was low at both scales, except for some key univariate traits. Divergence vectors were often orthogonal, highlighting possible ecological and genetic constraints on parallel evolution at both scales. Overall, our results confirm that the repeatability of adaptive radiation decreases at increasing spatial scales. We suggest that greater environmental heterogeneity at larger scales imposes different selection regimes, thus generating lower repeatability of adaptive radiation at larger spatial scales.
Phenotypic correlates of pelvic spine coloration in the Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus): Implications for function and evolution
<p>Animal color patches may be static or plastic in expression and concealable or continuously visible, yet these aspects of coloration, and their consequences, have been little studied. We address them here using the threespine stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>). Despite a rich history of study of stickleback nuptial color pattern evolution, disagreement persists regarding selection pressures and function. However, little research has addressed the role of pelvic spine coloration, a potentially important, and substantially concealable, color pattern element. We investigated (i) whether male pelvic spine (along with throat and body) coloration is relatively static or plastic across the reproductive cycle, (ii) when pelvic spines are raised versus concealed across behavioral contexts, and (iii) associations between color patches and behavior in males. We found no significant variation in spine color across reproductive stages whereas body color was more plastic and intensely red during courtship and egg/fry care. Conspicuousness of pelvic spine coloration instead varied behaviorally, through increased erection frequency during social interactions and in response to a model predator. Spine erection frequency was positively associated with behaviors that enhance spine color visibility, i.e. flees and leads to nest. These findings suggest that stickleback use pelvic spines to display an intensely red color patch facultatively, either as a complement to similar body coloration or possibly as a substitute. In addition, elevated spine raising in the presence of a model predator, together with the presence of red spine coloration in females, raises the possibility that red spine coloration may also have an anti-predator function.</p>
Mesocosm experiments reveal the loss of migratory tendencies in a recently isolated population of three-spined sticklebacks
<p>In the 1970s, water management in the Netherlands resulted in numerous isolated populations of three-spined sticklebacks, which can no longer migrate from freshwater to the sea. We tested whether ~50 years of isolation resulted in reduced migratory tendencies in these resident sticklebacks. Lab-based individual testing showed behavioural divergence between residents and migrants, but also produced counter-intuitive results, especially with regards to movement tendencies. To detect differences in migration tendencies, we set up a semi-natural mesocosm, consisting of connected ponds, where movements of numerous individuals could continually be tracked at larger spatial scales. We found that wild-caught residents and migrants exhibited no differences in movement tendencies within ponds, but residents moved significantly less between ponds than migrants. Between-pond movements were consistent and the observed differences were robust across contexts (changes in water flow and group size). Our study reveals that larger-scale movement tendencies can diverge over short time scales in response to human-induced isolation, and highlights the importance of observing behaviour in ecologically relevant setups that bridge the gap between lab and field studies.</p>
Data to: Carotenoids-based reddish pelvic spines in non-reproducing female and male sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) – signalling social dominance?
<p>Conspicuous ornaments are often considered a result of evolution by sexual selection. According to the social selection hypothesis, such conspicuous traits may also evolve as badges of status associated with increased boldness or aggression towards conspecifics in conflicts about ecological resources. This study tested predictions from the social selection hypothesis to explain evolution of conspicuous red colour of the pelvic spines of the three-spine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus). Wild non-reproducing sticklebacks were presented to pairs of dummies which differed at their pelvic spines, having either (i) normal sized grey or red pelvic spines, or (ii) normal sized grey or large red pelvic spines. The experimental tank was illuminated by white or green light, since green light impedes the sticklebacks' ability to detect red colour. The dummies moved slowly around in circles at each end of the experimental tank. We quantified the parameters (i) which of the two dummies was visited first, (ii) time taken before the first visit to a dummy, (iii) distribution of the focal sticklebacks in the two zones close to each of the two dummies and in the neutral zone of the tank, (iv) close to which of the two dummies did the focal fish eat its first food-piece, and (v) time spent until the first piece of food was eaten. This was carried out for 22 females and 29 males sticklebacks. The results suggested no effect of the colour or size of the dummies' pelvic spines, on none of the five behavioural parameters. Moreover, neither the colour of the pelvic spines of the focal sticklebacks themselves (as opposed to redness of the dummies' spines) or their body length was associated with behaviour towards the dummies. Thus, this study did not support predictions from the social selection hypothesis to explain evolution of red pelvic spines in sticklebacks.</p>
Dimensionality and modularity of adaptive variation: Divergence in threespine stickleback from diverse environments
<p>Populations are subjected to diverse environmental conditions that affect fitness and induce evolutionary or plastic responses, resulting in phenotypic divergence among populations. Some authors contend such divergence is concentrated along a single major axis of trait covariance, even if that axis does not lead populations directly toward fitness optimum. Other authors argue that divergence can occur readily along many phenotype axes at the same time. We use populations of threespine stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>) from 14 lakes with contrasting ecological conditions to find some resolution along the continuum between these two extremes. Unlike many previous studies, we included several functional suites of traits (defensive, swimming, trophic) potentially subject to different sources of selection. We find that populations exhibit dimensionality of divergence that is high enough to preclude a history of constraint along a single axis – both for divergence in multivariate mean trait values and for the structure of trait covariances. Dimensionality varied among trait suites and were strongly influenced by the inclusion of specific traits, and integration of trait suites varied between populations. We leverage this variation into new insights about the process of divergence and suggest that similar analyses could increase understanding of other adaptive radiations. </p>
Implication of the myo-inositol pathway in behavioral alterations of infected threespine sticklebacks
<p><span>Threespine stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus</em> <em>aculeatus</em>) infected with the tapeworm <em>Schistocephalus</em> <em>solidus</em> display impairments in their anti-predator responses. They also have increased expression of the gene encoding the IMPase 1 enzyme in their brains, which is part of a key step in <em>myo</em>-inositol synthesis. IMPase 1 and <em>myo</em>-inositol levels are the targets of lithium treatment in patients with bipolar disorder. Although promising candidates, we do not know if IMPase 1 and <em>myo</em>-inositol are directly implicated in the changes in risky behaviors measured in <em>Schistocephalus</em>-infected fish. Understanding the molecular mechanisms directly or indirectly involved in these behavioral alterations is crucial to understand the evolution of host-parasite interactions. Here, we increased <em>myo</em>-inositol levels of uninfected fish and inhibited IMPase 1 activity in infected fish to test the prediction that it would decrease and increase their anti-predator behaviour, respectively. We found that uninfected fish with increased <em>myo</em>-inositol levels (by injecting exogenous <em>myo</em>-inositol or by inducing endogenous production using an osmotic challenge) did not decrease their anti-predator responses. However, infected fish treated with lithium chloride had some of their anti-predator behaviors restored, but not all. They spent less time swimming close to the surface, swam a shorter distance, had a higher latency to feed, and spent more time frozen after a predator attack. Our results suggest that the target of lithium treatment is implicated in the risky behaviors of infected fish and supports the idea that the parasite-associated alteration in behavior has a multifactorial nature.</span></p>
Short-term heat waves have long-term consequences for parents and offspring in stickleback
<p>Extreme temperature events, such as heat waves, can have lasting effects on the behavior, physiology, and reproductive success of organisms. Here we examine the impact of short-term exposure to a simulated heat wave on condition, parental care, and reproductive success in a population of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), a small fish with exclusive paternal care, currently experiencing regular heat waves. Males were either exposed to a simulated heat wave (23°C) for five days or held at an ideal temperature (18°C). All males had offspring that were raised at 18°C. We found that while mass and body condition were unaffected in males exposed to a heat wave, cortisol responses were dampened across the nesting cycle compared to control males. In addition, heat wave males had longer latency for eggs to hatch, lower hatching success, and were unable to parent at the same level as control males. Offspring of heat wave males had lower body condition, affecting swimming performance. Altogether, our results highlight the long-term impact that even short-term events can have on reproductive success, parental behavior, and subsequent generations, providing insight into population responses to rapid environmental change.</p>
Data from: Environmentally independent selection for hybrids between divergent freshwater stickleback lineages in semi-natural ponds
<p>Hybridization following secondary contact of genetically divergent populations can influence the range expansion of invasive species, though specific outcomes depend on the environmental dependence of hybrid fitness. Here, using two genetically and ecologically divergent threespine stickleback lineages that differ in their history of freshwater colonization, we estimate fitness variation of parental lineages and hybrids in semi-natural freshwater ponds with contrasting histories of nutrient loading. In our experiment, we found that fish from the older freshwater lineage (Lake Geneva) and hybrids outperformed fish from the younger freshwater lineage (Lake Constance) in terms of both growth and survival, regardless of the environmental context of our ponds. Across all ponds, hybrids exhibited the highest survival. Although wild- caught adult populations differed in their functional and defence morphology, it is unclear which of these traits underlie the fitness differences observed among juveniles in our experiment. Overall, our work suggests that when hybrid fitness is insensitive to environmental conditions, as observed here, introgression may promote population-expansion into unoccupied habitats and accelerate invasion success.</p>
Physiological parameters for four fish species (rainbow trout, zebra fish, fathead minnow and three-spined stickleback) as the basis for the development of generic physiologically-based kinetic models
<p>This excel file (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1414332) provides physiological parameters and their inter-individual variability (mean, coefficient of variation, sample size) for four fish species: rainbow trout (<em>Onchorhynchus mykiss</em>), zebrafish (<em>Danio rerio</em>), fathead minnow (<em>Pimephales promelas</em>), and three-spined stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>). These physiological parameters were estimated based on the results of extensive literature searches and specific experimental data described in Grech et al., (2018). </p> <p>This file is associated with R codes (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1414332) for generic PB-K models, partition coefficient Quantitative Structure Activity Relationship (QSAR) models for each fish species and parameterisation of model for males and females of each species separately.</p> <p>The full data collection and implementation of the models using case studies are described in Grech et al., 2018 (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.163">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2018.09.163</a>)</p>
Parallel and non-parallel divergence within polymorphic populations of brook stickleback, Culaea inconstans (Actinopterygii: Gasterosteidae)
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Studying parallel evolution allows us to draw conclusions about the repeatability of adaptive evolution. Whereas populations likely experience similar selective pressures in similar environments, it is not clear if this will always result in parallel divergence of ecologically relevant traits. Our study investigates the extent of parallelism associated with the evolution of pelvic spine reduction in brook stickleback populations. We find that populations with parallel divergence in pelvic spine morphology do not exhibit parallel divergence in head and body morphology but do exhibit parallel divergence in diet. In addition, we compare these patterns associated with pelvic reduction in brook stickleback to well-studied patterns of divergence between spined and unspined threespine stickleback. Whereas spine reduction is associated with littoral habitats and a benthic diet in threespine stickleback, spine reduction in brook stickleback is associated with a planktonic diet. Hence, we find that pelvic spine divergence is associated with largely non-parallel ecological consequences across species.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Adding the third dimension to studies of parallel evolution of morphology and function: an exploration based on parapatric lake-stream stickleback
Recent methodological advances have led to a rapid expansion of evolutionary studies employing three-dimensional landmark-based geometric morphometrics (GM). GM methods generally enable researchers to capture and compare complex shape phenotypes, and to quantify their relationship to environmental gradients. However, some recent studies have shown that the common, inexpensive, and relatively rapid two-dimensional GM methods can distort important information and produce misleading results because they cannot capture variation in the depth (Z) dimension. We use micro-CT scanned threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus Linnaeus, 1758) from six parapatric lake-stream populations on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, to test whether the loss of the depth dimension in 2D GM studies results in misleading interpretations of parallel evolution. Using joint locations described with 2D or 3D landmarks, we compare results from separate 2D and 3D shape spaces, from a combined 2D-3D shape space, and from estimates of biomechanical function. We show that, although shape is distorted enough in 2D projections to strongly influence the interpretation of morphological parallelism, estimates of biomechanical function are relatively robust to the loss of the Z dimension.
Genetics of mercury accumulation in Stickleback, genotypes and metal accumulation phenotypes
<p>Anthropogenic stressors, such as pollutants, act as selective factors that can leave measurable changes in allele frequencies in the genome. Metals are of particular concern among pollutants, because of interference with vital biological pathways. We use the three-spined stickleback as a model for adaptation to mercury pollution in natural populations. We collected sticklebacks from 21 locations in Flanders (Belgium), measured the accumulated levels of mercury in the skeletal muscle tissue, and genotyped the fish by sequencing (GBS). The spread of muscle mercury content across locations was considerable, ranging from 21.5 to 327 ng/g dry weight (DW). We then conducted a genome wide association study (GWAS) between 28,450 SNPs and the accumulated levels of mercury, using different approaches. Based on a linear mixed model analysis, the GWAS yielded multiple hits with a single top hit on Chromosome 4, with eight more SNPs (Single Nucleotide Polymorphism) suggestive of association. A second approach, a latent factor mixed model analysis, highlighted one single SNP on Chromosome 11. Finally, an outlier test identified one additional SNP on chromosome 4 that appeared under selection. Out of all ten SNPs we identified as associated with mercury in muscle, three SNPs all located on Chromosome 4 and positioned within a 2.5 kbp distance of an annotated gene. Based on these results and the genome coverage of our SNPs, we conclude that the selective effect of mercury pollution in Flanders causes a significant association with at least one locus on Chromosome 4 in three-spined stickleback.</p>
Metabolic rate increases with thermal acclimation and is associated with mitochondrial function in some tissues of threespine stickleback
<p>The metabolic rate (ṀO2) of eurythermal fishes changes in response to temperature, yet it is unclear how changes in mitochondrial function contribute to changes in ṀO2. We hypothesized that ṀO2 would increase with acclimation temperature in the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in parallel with metabolic remodeling at the cellular level but that changes in metabolism in some tissues and organs, such as liver, would contribute more to changes in ṀO2 than others. Threespine stickleback were acclimated to 5, 12 and 20°C for 21 weeks. At each temperature, standard and maximum metabolic rate (SMR and MMR, respectively), and aerobic scope (AS) were quantified, along with mitochondrial respiration rates in liver, oxidative skeletal, and cardiac muscles, and the maximal activity of citrate synthase (CS) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) in liver, and oxidative and glycolytic skeletal muscles. SMR, MMR and AS increased with acclimation temperature, along with rates of mitochondrial phosphorylating respiration in all tissues. Low SMR and MMR at 5°C were associated with low or undetectable rates of mitochondrial complex II activity and a greater reliance on complex I activity in liver, oxidative skeletal muscle, and heart. SMR was positively correlated with cytochrome c oxidase (CCO) activity in liver and oxidative muscle but not mitochondrial proton leak, while MMR was positively correlated with CCO in liver. Overall, the results suggest that changes in ṀO2 in response to temperature are driven by changes in some aspects of mitochondrial function in some, but not all tissues of threespine stickleback.</p>
Data from: The phenotypic determinants of diet variation between divergent lineages of threespine stickleback
<p><span>Lineages with independent evolutionary histories often differ in both their morphology and</span> <span>diet. Experimental work has improved our understanding of the links between the biomechanics of morphological traits and foraging performance (trait-utility). However, because the expression of foraging-relevant traits and their utility can be highly context-specific, it is often unclear how dietary divergence arises from evolved phenotypic differences. Here, we explore the phenotypic causes of dietary divergence between two genetically and phenotypically divergent lineages of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) with independent evolutionary histories of freshwater colonization and adaptation. First, using individuals from a line-cross breeding design, we conducted 150 common-garden foraging trials with a community of multiple prey species and performed morphological and behavioural analyses to test for prey-specific trait-utility. Second, we tested if the traits that explain variation in foraging performance among all individuals could also explain the dietary divergence between the lineages. Overall, we found evidence for the utility of several foraging traits, but these traits did not explain the observed dietary divergence between the lineages in common garden. This work suggests that evolved dietary divergence results not only from differences in morphology but also from divergence in behaviours that underlie prey capture success in species-rich prey communities.</span></p>
Data for: Repeated genetic divergence plays a minor role in repeated phenotypic divergence of lake-stream stickleback
<p>Recent studies have shown that the repeated evolution of similar phenotypes in response to similar ecological conditions (here 'parallel evolution') often occurs through mutations in the same genes. However, many previous studies have focused on known candidate genes in a limited number of systems. Thus, the question of how often parallel phenotypic evolution is due to parallel genetic changes remains open. Here, we used quantitative trait locus (QTL) mapping in F2 intercrosses between lake and stream threespine stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>) from four independent watersheds on Vancouver Island, Canada to determine whether the same QTL underlie divergence in the same phenotypes across, between, and within watersheds. We find few parallel QTL, even in independent crosses from the same watershed or for phenotypes that have diverged in parallel. These findings suggest that different mutations can lead to similar phenotypes. The low genetic repeatability observed in these lake-stream systems contrasts with the higher genetic repeatability observed in other stickleback systems. We speculate that differences in evolutionary history, gene flow, and/or the strength and direction of selection might explain these differences in genetic parallelism and emphasize that more work is needed to move beyond documenting genetic parallelism to identifying the underlying causes.</p>
Characterizing phenotypic diversity in marine populations of the threespine stickleback
<p class="MsoNormal">The threespine stickleback (<em>Gasterosteus aculeatus</em>) is an important model for studying the evolution of vertebrate morphology. Sticklebacks inhabit freshwater, brackish, and marine northern hemisphere waters. Anadromous and marine populations (hereafter marine) are assumed to have remained unchanged morphologically from ancestral marine sticklebacks, despite marine environments varying on regional and local scales. Recent studies suggest that genetic and phenotypic structure exists in marine populations, yet the scale of this variation, and its ecological causes remain unclear. Our goal was to assess morphological trait variation in marine stickleback populations around Southern British Columbia (BC) and determine if oceanographic and habitat characteristics were associated with this variation. Between May-July 2019, we sampled 534 sticklebacks from 15 sites around Vancouver Island, a region characterized by a large diversity of oceanographic and habitat features. We characterized trait variation using two-dimensional (2D) geometric morphometric analysis, comparing individuals between oceanographic regions and habitats. We focused on head and body shape. We found that marine sticklebacks varied morphologically among and between regions and habitats, but the variation did not appear to be related to environmental variation. Sexual dimorphism was the largest source of variation, but oceanographic and habitat variables influenced differences between sexes. We concluded that marine sticklebacks offer abundant opportunities for expanding our knowledge of drivers of morphology.</p>
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.