Habitat choice is defined as a nonrandom distribution of genotypes in different microhabitats. Therefore, it could exert a great impact on the genetic variance of natural populations by promoting genetic divergence, local adaptation, and may even lead to sympatric speciation. Despite this potential role in micro- and macro-evolutionary processes, there is little empirical evidence that the vari...

The Aphanius fasciatus is an endemic fish species of the coastal Mediterranean region; and recently discovered in the northern Algerian Sahara. The aim of this study is to evaluate the infestation by ectoparasites on A. fasciatus in the new arid habitats where it was newly recorded. For this purpose, skin and gills of 95 fish caught in the Still Wadi (Still river), between September 2012 and Ju...

background: anthropogenic activities release high concentrations of heavy metals into the aquatic ecosystems, which can be absorbed by the aquatic organisms. in this study, the accu-mulation of cadmium (cd) and arsenic (as) was compared in liver, gill and muscle tissues of toothed carp (aphanius sophiae) in fresh and salt water. methods: a total of 175 fish samples were collected from the shoor...

Condition-specific competition is widespread in nature. Species inhabiting heterogeneous environments tend to differ in competitive abilities depending on environmental stressors. Interactions between these factors can allow coexistence of competing species, which may be particularly important between invasive and native species. Here, we examine the effects of temperature on competitive intera...