Small-scale phenotypic differentiation along complex stream gradients in a non-native amphipod.
Jonas JourdanKathrin PiroAlexander WeigandMartin PlathPublished in: Frontiers in zoology (2019)
We provide a comprehensive protocol for comparative analyses of intraspecific variation in life history traits in amphipods. Whether the observed phenotypic differentiation over small geographical distances reflects evolutionary divergence or plasticity (or both) remains to be investigated in future studies. Independent of the mechanisms involved, variation in several traits is likely to have consequences for ecosystem functions. For example, leaf-shredding in G. roeselii strongly depends on body size, which varied in dependence of several ecological parameters.