Morphological and Genetic Variation of Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a Hybrid Zone

The mechanisms that contribute to evolutionary divergence between popula-tions are difficult to discern, but may be suggested by patterns in the distribu-tion of morphological traits, alleles and genotypes. Hybrid zones across eco-tones and population variation across environmental gradients can be...

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Main Author: Bodkin, Harry
Format: Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
Language:English
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80967/
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author Bodkin, Harry
author_facet Bodkin, Harry
author_sort Bodkin, Harry
building Nottingham Research Data Repository
collection Online Access
description The mechanisms that contribute to evolutionary divergence between popula-tions are difficult to discern, but may be suggested by patterns in the distribu-tion of morphological traits, alleles and genotypes. Hybrid zones across eco-tones and population variation across environmental gradients can be especial-ly useful in this regard. Here, I analyse changes in morphological traits such as armour plating, standard length and body shape, as well as genetic variation such as the allele frequency of the well-known Eda locus, across environmental gradients within a hybrid zone and between systems. I show the lack of a pat-tern in morphological traits across the hybrid zone, but very strong genetic structure. In addition, I observe allele frequencies of chromosomal inversions across environmental gradients to show a tight link between the chromosome XI inversion and pH in freshwater systems.
first_indexed 2025-11-14T21:04:58Z
format Thesis (University of Nottingham only)
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institution University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus
institution_category Local University
language English
last_indexed 2025-11-14T21:04:58Z
publishDate 2025
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spelling nottingham-809672025-07-24T04:40:15Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80967/ Morphological and Genetic Variation of Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a Hybrid Zone Bodkin, Harry The mechanisms that contribute to evolutionary divergence between popula-tions are difficult to discern, but may be suggested by patterns in the distribu-tion of morphological traits, alleles and genotypes. Hybrid zones across eco-tones and population variation across environmental gradients can be especial-ly useful in this regard. Here, I analyse changes in morphological traits such as armour plating, standard length and body shape, as well as genetic variation such as the allele frequency of the well-known Eda locus, across environmental gradients within a hybrid zone and between systems. I show the lack of a pat-tern in morphological traits across the hybrid zone, but very strong genetic structure. In addition, I observe allele frequencies of chromosomal inversions across environmental gradients to show a tight link between the chromosome XI inversion and pH in freshwater systems. 2025-07-24 Thesis (University of Nottingham only) NonPeerReviewed application/pdf en cc_by https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80967/1/HarryBodkin_RevisedThesis.pdf Bodkin, Harry (2025) Morphological and Genetic Variation of Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a Hybrid Zone. MRes thesis, University of Nottingham. hybrid zones three-spined Stickleback chromosomal inversions mitochondrial DNA
spellingShingle hybrid zones
three-spined Stickleback
chromosomal inversions
mitochondrial DNA
Bodkin, Harry
Morphological and Genetic Variation of Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a Hybrid Zone
title Morphological and Genetic Variation of Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a Hybrid Zone
title_full Morphological and Genetic Variation of Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a Hybrid Zone
title_fullStr Morphological and Genetic Variation of Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a Hybrid Zone
title_full_unstemmed Morphological and Genetic Variation of Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a Hybrid Zone
title_short Morphological and Genetic Variation of Three-spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) in a Hybrid Zone
title_sort morphological and genetic variation of three-spined stickleback (gasterosteus aculeatus) in a hybrid zone
topic hybrid zones
three-spined Stickleback
chromosomal inversions
mitochondrial DNA
url https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/80967/