title: Contrasting patterns of morphological variation with dietary preferences in Micropogonias furnieri: insights from stable-isotope and digestive-trait analyses.
abstract: The dietary preferences of populations of whitemouth croaker Micropogonias furnieri, which commonly inhabit estuarine and oceanic environments of the south-western Atlantic Ocean, were investigated using stable-isotope analysis and digestive traits, and compared with previous genetic and morphometric surveys of this species. Isotopic and C:N-derived data suggested that individuals from coastal lagoons are the most differentiated from the remaining localities surveyed. In contrast, the analysis of the digestive traits did not show the same differentiation pattern. The overall correlation between isotopic, molecular and morphological variations suggests that genetic and phenotypic differences among populations are accompanied by differential resource use, supporting the idea that selective forces could be playing an important role in population differentiation.
authors: Departamento de Ecología y Evolución, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Montevideo 11400, Uruguay. passer@fcien.edu.uy
authors: A
authors: A
authors: D'Anatro
authors: D E
authors: DE
authors: Naya
authors: E P
authors: EP
authors: Lessa
authors: O
authors: O
authors: Defeo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005518:Food Preferences; D041981:Gastrointestinal Tract; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes; D010473:Perciformes / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000502:physiology*; D014583:Uruguay
chemical_list: D002247:Carbon Isotopes; D009587:Nitrogen Isotopes