Browsing by Author "Curley, Douglas Taylor"

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    Impacts of Lake Physical Characteristics and the Presence of a Non-native Species on Diet Specialization in Threespine Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)
    (2018-09-21) Curley, Douglas Taylor; Vamosi, Steven M.; Vamosi, Jana C.; Galpern, Paul; Wasmuth, James D.
    The diet and dietary morphological adaptations of populations have been shown to be influenced by both the physical characteristics of their habitat and the presence of non-native species. In this study, I assessed how diet varies within and among populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in lakes with varying bathymetry in southwestern British Columbia. These lakes also differed in whether they contained the invasive signal crayfish (Pacifastacus leniusculus). Diet was evaluated through gut content analysis. I also investigated how morphology differs between these populations, as morphology has been shown to be linked to diet in stickleback. Diet data did not reveal any significant differences in diet among populations. However, morphology data did reveal significant differences among lakes and between crayfish conditions. The data suggest that diets higher in benthic invertebrates are associated with lakes with more littoral area and with the presence of signal crayfish.