Theses Digitisation: This Is a Digitised Version of the Original Print Thesis. Copyright and Moral
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https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ Theses Digitisation: https://www.gla.ac.uk/myglasgow/research/enlighten/theses/digitisation/ This is a digitised version of the original print thesis. Copyright and moral rights for this work are retained by the author A copy can be downloaded for personal non-commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge This work cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the author The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the author When referring to this work, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the thesis must be given Enlighten: Theses https://theses.gla.ac.uk/ [email protected] Life history patterns and reproduction in the threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) by Angela Adanze Ukegbu A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Department of Zoology University of Glasgow April 1986 ProQuest Number: 10991764 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. uest ProQuest 10991764 Published by ProQuest LLO (2018). Copyright of the Dissertation is held by the Author. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code Microform Edition © ProQuest LLO. ProQuest LLO. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.Q. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 4 8 1 0 6 - 1346 OCMTENTS PAGE AŒNOWLfBSEMENIS 13 ABSTRACT 14 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTIOÎ 17 1.1 Life History Theory 18 1.2 Introducing Behaviour Into Life History 23 Theory 1.3 Life History Studies Of Teleost Fish 30 1.4 Age Structure Of Three Spine Stickleback 33 Populations 1.5 Gonadal Development And Endocrinological 35 Control In Sticklebacks 1.6 Reproductive Behaviour Of Sticklebacks 37 1.7 Adaptive Variation and Reproduction In 37 Sticklebacks 1.8 Summary Of Aims 39 CHAPTER 2 GENERAL METHODS 40 2.1 Study Sites: Location and Descripticai 41 2.2 Sampling Methods 41 2.3 Fish Care and laboratory Conditions 42 2.4 Statistical Analysis 43 CHAPTER 3 AGE STRUCTURE OF THREE SCOTTISH STICKLEBACK 44 POPUIATimS 3.1 Introduction 45 3.1.1 Techniques for ageing fish 46 3.1.2 Techniques applied to sticklebacks 48 3.2 Materials and Methods 51 3.2.1 Sanpling regime 51 3.2.2 Preparation and interpretation of otoliths 52 3.2.3 Assigning fish to age classes 52 3.2.4 Breeding in early and late hatched fish 53 3.2.5 Data analysis 53 3.3 Results 54 3.3.1 Growth of otoliths 54 3.3.2 Typical difficulties encountered in 60 interpreting otoliths 3.3.3 Pattern of ring formation 63 3.3.4 Length frequency distribution 69 3.3.5 Population age structure 73 3.3.6 Breeding in early and late hatched male 73 sticklebacks 3.4 Discussion 73 CHAPTER 4 FEEDING INTENSITY AND DIET OOMPOSITIŒÎ 77 4.1 Introduction 78 4.2 Materials and Methods 82 4.2.1 Stomach analysis 82 4.2.2 Data analysis 84 4.3 Results 87 4.3.1 Stomach fullness 87 4.3.2 Percentage of fish with empty stomachs 97 4.3.3 Diet cctiposition 102 4.4 Discussion 108 4.4.1 Stomach fullness 108 4.4.2 Diet composition 110 CHAPTER 5 GONADAL DEVELOPMENT AND ITS RELATIONSHIP 112 TO LENGTH, WEIGHT AND FOOD INTAKE 5.1 Introduction 113 5.1.1 Somatic and gonadal growth in fish 113 5.1.2 Gonadal development in sticklebacks 114 5.2 Materials and Methods 117 5.2.1 Data analysis 126 5.3 Results 128 5.3.1 Seasonal changes in gonadal condition 128 5.3.2 Differences between populations 142 5.3.3 Gonad weight/body weight ratio and 144 maturation score in fish of different age groups 5.3.4 Association between body features and 149 gonadal development 5.3.5 Relationship between stomach fullness and 153 morphological development 5.4 Discussion 156 CHAPTER 6 SEASCMAL INFLUENCE OSI RISK-TAKING DURING 163 REPRODUCTION IN STICKLEBACKS 6 .1 Introducticxi 164 6.2 Materials and Methods 167 6.2.1 Data analysis 169 6.3 Results 171 6.3.1 The effects of presentation of a predator 171 6.3.2 The effects of breeding early and late in 185 the season 6.4 Discussion 189 CHAPTER 7 GENERAL DISCUSSION 194 REFERENCES 206 LIST OF TABLES Table 1.1 Pairwise-trade offs between N, S-j^, S2, T^^ and T2 from Sibly and Calow (1983) Table 3.1 Frequency distribution of otolith types and mean and range of standard length of the fish in each category for River Kelvin Table 3.2 Frequency distributicn of otolith types and mean and range of standard length of the fish in each category for River Luggie Table 3.3 Frequency distribution of otolith types and mean and range of standard length of the fish in each category for Aurs B u m Table 4.1 Months with similar percentage stomach fullness grouped for purposes of analysis Table 4.2 Summary of months for which percentage stomach fullness were significantly different: River Kelvin Table 4.3 Summary of months for which percentage stomach fullness were significantly different: River Luggie Table 4.4 Sumnary of months for which percentage stomach fullness were significantly different: Aurs B u m Table 4.5 Means and standard error of percentage stomach fullness for the populations showing those with significant differences Table 4.6 Mean and standard error of percentage fullness for the different sizes of fish from the River Kelvin Table 4.7 Mean and standard error of percentage fullness for the different sizes of fish from the River Luggie Table 4.8 Mean and standard error of percentage fullness for the different sizes of fish from the Aurs B u m Table 4.9 Sizes with significant differences in percentage fullness in River Kelvin Table 4.10 Percentage of fish with erpty stomach in the three populations Table 4.11 Percentage composition of the diet at different times of the year in fish from the River Kelvin Table 4.12 Percentage composition of the diet at different times of the year in fish from the River Luggie Table 4.13 Percentage corrposition of the diet at different times of the year in fish from the Aurs B u m Table 5.1 Mean and standard errorof length, weight, gonad weight/bodyweight ratio, maturation score and condition factor for the three populations, showing those with significant differences Table 5.2 Mean and standard error of gonad weight/body weight ratio and maturation score for females of different age groups of the 3 populations, showing those with significant differences Table 5.3 Mean and standard error of gonad vreight/body weight ratio and maturation score for males of different age groups of the 3 populations, showing those with significant differences Table 5.4 Summary of results obtained from regressing gonad weight/body weight ratio and maturaticxi score on length Table 5.5 Summary of results obtained from regressing gonad weight/body weight ratio and maturation score on ccHidition factor Table 5.6 Sumnary of results showing the relaticxiship between percentage stomach fullness and different morphological features Table 6.1 Summary of minutes with significant differences for bites at tube Table 6.2 Summary of minutes with significant differences for time near tube Table 6.3 Summary of minutes with significant differences for time at partition Table 6.4 Summary of minutes with significant differences for duration of dorsal spine raising Table 6.5 A presence and absence table showing when cnly the egg males (cell 111) or only the empty nest males went to the nest (cell 11) as well as when both went (cell IV) or neither went (cell 1) Table 6.6 A presence and absence table showing number of times when only the egg males (cell 111) or only the empty nest males (cell 11) hid in the weed as well as when both went (cell IV) or neither went (cell 1) 8 LIST OF FIGURES Figure 3.1 Length frequency distributicai for the mcaiths of January to Deceniber for fish from the River Kelvin. Figure 3.2 Length frequency distribution for the months of January to December for fish from the River Luggie. Figure 3.3 Length frequency distribution for the months of January to December for fish from the Aurs Bum. Figure 4.1 Percentage stomach fullness at different times of the year in male fish from the 3 study populations, (a) Kelvin (b) Luggie (c) Aurs Burn. Figure 4.2 Percentage stomach fullness at different times of the year in female fish from the 3 study populations. (a) Kelvin (b) Luggie (c) Aurs B u m Figure 5.1 Mean and standard error of gonad weight/body weight ratio against months for females of the 3 study populations, (a) Kelvin (b) Luggie (c) Aurs Bum. Figure 5.2 Mean and standard error of gonad weight/body weight ratio against months for males of the 3 study populations, (a) Kelvin (b) Luggie (c) Aurs Bum. Figure 5.3 Annual changes of percentage of the stages of gamete production in fish from the River Kelvin, (a) Females (b) Males. Figure 5.4 Annual changes of percentage of the stages of gamete production in fish from the River Luggie.