Inherited differences in head allometry in polymorphic Arctic charr from Loch Rannoch, Scotland

Abstract

Planktivorous and benthivorous morphs of wild Arctic charr Salelinus alpinus from Loch Rannoch, Perthshire, Scotland, reared in the laboratory from artificially fertilized eggs under identical conditions, were morphologically distinct (based on a series of head measurements) from an early age. For some morphometric characters, these differences became more marked with increasing body size, reflecting differences in the allometric growth patterns of the two forms. These data show that the observed phenotypic differences between these two trophic variants were, to some extent at least, inherited. Thus it is concluded that the mechanisms regulating expression of phenotype in the sympatric morphs of Loch Rannoch are significantly different from the environmentally determined body size polymorphisms reported from Norway but are closer to the more completely divergent forms from Thingvalavatn, Iceland.