Viability selection on body size in a non-marine ostracod |
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Authors: | Rodrigo Scheihing Pedro Labarca Leyla Cardenas Roberto F Nespolo |
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Institution: | 1.Centro de Estudios Científicos (CECS),Valdivia,Chile;2.Escuela de Graduados, Facultad de Ciencias,Universidad Austral de Chile,Valdivia,Chile;3.Instituto de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias,Universidad Austral de Chile,Valdivia,Chile |
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Abstract: | One of the most important research topics in evolutionary ecology is body size evolution. Actually, several hypotheses have
been proposed to explain the many observed patterns—also known as “rules”—of body size variation in across latitude, temperature,
and time. The temperature–size rule (TSR), describes an inverse relationship between body size and temperature. We took advantage
of the “natural laboratory” that the crustacean populations at the Chilean altiplano offers, to study the TSR in ostracods.
We studied three populations of Limnocythere atacamae that are physically separated by several kilometers, and differ mainly by their permanent thermal regime. We found larger
individuals in the hotspring compared to the cold ponds. Also, in the hotspring we found a significant quadratic selection
coefficient, suggesting stabilizing selection in this population. The fitness profiles showed stabilizing selection in the
hotspring, and positive directional selection in the ponds. Our results suggest the existence of an optimal body size above
the population means. This optimal size is apparently attained in the hotspring population. Then, natural selection appears
to be promoting a shift in the mean phenotype that, for some reason, is not attained in the cold environments. Genetic slippage
and population bottleneck would explain this absence of response to selection. |
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