Regressive evolution of the pelvic complex in stickleback fishes: a study of convergent evolution

Klepaker, Tom
Østbye, Kjartan
Bell, Michael A.

Publication date

January 2013

Publisher

Evolutionary Ecology

Abstract

Background: Regressive evolution of the pelvic complex has been observed in populations of three of five stickleback genera, Gasterosteus, Pungitius, and Culaea, from young freshwater habitats (<18,000 years old). It has been hypothesized to be selected for by ion limitation, lack of predation by fishes, and increased predation by large aquatic insects. Stickleback pelvic reduction is often caused by deletion mutations of the Pitx1 gene, which prevent its expression during pelvic development. Lack of Pitx1 expression may be partly compensated for by Pitx2, which is preferentially expressed on the left side of the body, causing the left pelvic vestige to be larger than the right. Thus, left-biased directional asymmetry of pelvic vestiges imp...

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Regressive evolution of the pelvic complex in stickleback fishes: a study of convergent evolution

Abstract

Extracted data

Regressive evolution of the pelvic complex in stickleback fishes: a study of convergent evolution

Abstract

Extracted data

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