Wright, Daniel Shane

English

Aquatic environments are well-suited for studying visual adaptation; light attenuation creates distinct photic environments, to which vision-dependent species must adapt. In Lake Victoria, Pundamilia cichlids with blue vs. red male coloration co-occur at many locations. The species are depth-segregated, occupying different visual habitats, have different colour vision properties, and females exert species-specific mate preferences for male colour. Correspondence between these factors implicates divergent sensory drive as the mechanism of speciation. Here, I experimentally test this hypothesis, examining the link between vision and behaviour. We manipulated visual system development by rearing fish in environments mimicking the light conditions of Lake Victoria and then tested for variation in behaviour and visual system properties. Light treatments influenced female preference for blue vs. red males, while male coloration did not change. Light treatments also influenced the expression of colour sensitive pigments in the eye, but we could not establish a causal link between pigment expression and preference. Possibly, visual pigment genotype is more important for female preference. This is in line with the results of foraging tests, in which fish performed better when tested in light conditions natural to each species. Finally, field surveys revealed geographic variation in pigment expression across populations, that did not align with species differences in visual pigment genotype and female preference. I conclude that visual perception influences cichlid behaviour, but that different components of the visual system, i.e. pigment gene sequence and expression, may play different roles in Pundamilia adaptation and speciation

Dissertations of the University of Groningen

   University of GroningenThe role of visual adaptation in cichlid fish speciationWright, Daniel ShaneIMPORTANT NOTE: You are advised to consult the publisher's version (publisher's PDF) if you wish to cite fromit. Please check the document version below.Document VersionPublisher's PDF, also known as Version of recordPublication date:2019Link to publication in University of Groningen/UMCG research databaseCitation for published version (APA):Wright, D. S. (2019). The role of visual adaptation in cichlid fish speciation. [Thesis fully internal (DIV),University of Groningen]. University of Groningen.CopyrightOther than for strictly personal use, it is not permitted to download or to forward/distribute the text or part of it without the consent of theauthor(s) and/or copyright holder(s), unless the work is under an open content license (like Creative Commons).The publication may also be distributed here under the terms of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, indicated by the “Taverne” license.More information can be found on the University of Groningen website: https://www.rug.nl/library/open-access/self-archiving-pure/taverne-amendment.Take-down policyIf you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediatelyand investigate your claim.Downloaded from the University of Groningen/UMCG research database (Pure): http://www.rug.nl/research/portal. For technical reasons thenumber of authors shown on this cover page is limited to 10 maximum.Download date: 21-01-2023  169  Author Affiliations   Nicolle Demandt, Jeroen T. Alkema, Roel van Eijk, Ton G.G. Groothuis, and   Martine E. Maan Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands  Ole Seehausen Institute of Ecology & Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland Department Fish Ecology & Evolution, Eawag, Center for Ecology, Evolution and Biogeochemistry, Kastanienbaum, Switzerland  Emma Rietveld, Roy Meijer, and Lisa Schuart Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands Van Hall Larenstein, University of Applied Sciences, Leeuwarden, The Netherlands              170              

The role of visual adaptation in cichlid fish speciation

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The role of visual adaptation in cichlid fish speciation

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Dissertations of the University of Groningen