Abstract
AbstractGenetic and demographic changes in mosquitofish populations are reported after chronic (111 d) exposure to mercury. Sex ratios, normally female‐biased in field populations, were also female‐biased in control mesocosms. However, the sex ratio was male‐biased in the mercury treatments. Frequencies of glucosephosphate isomerase‐2 (Gpi‐2) allozymes for fish exposed to mercury differed from initial frequencies and from those of control fish. In a selection‐component analysis, female sexual selection was statistically significant for the mercury‐treated fish; the proportion of females that were gravid differed among Gpi‐2 genotypes. The number of developing embryos per female also differed among Gpi‐2 genotypes. Mercury had genotype‐specific effects on mosquitofish reproduction in addition to genotype‐specific effects on mortality reported earlier. These effects may reflect metabolic qualities of the Gpi‐2 genotypes or loci closely linked to the Gpi‐2 locus.
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