Body shape variation in relation to resource partitioning within cichlid trophic guilds coexisting along the rocky shore of Lake Malawi
نویسنده
چکیده
To appreciate better how cichlids segregate along the trophic, spatial and temporal dimensions, it is necessary to understand the cichlids’ body design, and its role in resource partitioning.We investigatedbody shape variation, quanti ed using landmark-basedgeometricmorphometrics, among cichlid species belonging to algal and zooplankton feeders coexisting along the rocky shores of Lake Malawi, in order to elucidate the adaptive signi cance of body shape. Signi cant differences were found within zooplankton feeders in which Copadichromis borleyi had a shorter gape, smaller eyes and shorter caudal peduncle relative to Ctenopharynx pictus and, within algal feeders, Labeotropheus fuellebornihad a shorter and inferior subterminal gape, and shorter head relative to Petrotilapiagenalutea. Variation among species is discussed with reference to trophic and feeding microhabitat differentiation which enables us to appreciate the role of body shape in enhancing ecological separation, and thus leads to coexistence among cichlid species.
منابع مشابه
Variation in body size and trophic morphology within and among genetically differentiated populations of the cichlid fish, Metriaclima zebra, from Lake Malawi
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