Morphometric analysis of two ecologically distinct forms of Arctic charr, Salvelinus alpinus (L.), in Loch Rannoch, Scotland |
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| Authors: | A S Gardner † A F Walker ‡ R B Greer ‡ |
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| Institution: | Galton Laboratory, Department of Genetics and Biometry, University College London, 4 Stephenson Way, London NW1 2HE, U.K.;Freshwater Fisheries Laboratory, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries for Scotland, Pitlochry, Perthshire PHI 6 5LB, U.K. |
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| Abstract: | Gill–netted samples of Arctic charr from Loch Rannoch, Scotland were bimodal when tested by univariate and multivariate morphometric analyses. The separation into two morphs corresponded very closely (95–98%) with fish classified subjectively in the field as benthic or pelagic, based largely on colour differences and ecological observations. The benthic charr had relatively longer heads, larger eyes and more powerful jaws than the pelagic charr. Unlike sympatric morphotypes described from Scandinavia and Greenland, neither Rannoch morph is dwarfed. |
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