Behavioural and morphological variation: cichlid fishes as a model system. Will Sowersby de Monash University Australia

Título: Behavioural and morphological variation: cichlid fishes as a model system

Ponente: Will Sowersby de Monash University, Australia

Resumen:

Understanding how biological variation is formed and maintained is still a major challenge for evolutionary biologists. Cichlid fishes are proving to be an ideal study system, as they come in a vast array of forms, diversify rapidly and many closely related species differ only in regard to a few morphological or behavioural characters. In this talk I will focus on two neotropical Amphilophus cichlids. Amphilophus labiatus and Amphilophus citrinellus, which show very little genetic differentiation but differ morphologically, in particular in regard to resource use traits. In this study I investigate morphological and behavioural differences between and within the species, with a particular focus on ecological traits and colour polymorphism to determine whether variation in these traits are derived or a response to ecological/environmental conditions.