Phototoxicity and fish predation: selective factors in color morphs ofHeterocope

Document Type

Article

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Limnology and Oceanography

Volume

26

Publication Date

1981

Keywords

phototoxicity, fish, predation, color morph, heterocope

First Page

454

Last Page

460

Abstract

In the Toolik Lake region of arctic Alaska, Heterocope septentrionalis occurs in two distinct color morphs, dark red and pale green. The dark form tends to occur in shallow fishless ponds and the pale form in large, deep lakes with fish. Phototoxicity and fish predation experiments on the two morphs showed that the dark red form had better survivorship in bright sunlight and the pale green form was less susceptible to predation by visually feeding fish. The red color is caused by a keto-carotenoid pigment. In lakes where predation presents a threat than sunlight the keto-carotenoid pigment is complexed with a protein to produce green Heterocope.

Link to Full Text

Share

COinS