Ecomorphological variation in shell shape of the freshwater turtle Pseudemys concinna inhabiting different aquatic flow regimes

Abstract

Populations of species that inhabit a range of environments frequently display divergent morphologies that correlate with differences in ecological parameters. The velocity of water flow (i.e., flow velocity) is a critical feature of aquatic environments that has been shown to influence morphology in a broad range of taxa. The focus of this study was to evaluate the relationship between flow velocity and shell morphology for males and females of the semi-aquatic freshwater turtle Pseudemys concinna. For both sexes, the carapace and plastron show significant morphological differences between habitats characterized by slow-flowing (i.e., lentic) and fast-flowing (i.e., lotic) water. In general, the most prominent pattern for both sexes is that the shells of individuals from lotic habitats are more streamlined (small height-to-length ratio) than the shells of individuals from lentic habitats. Of the two shell components (carapace and plastron), the carapace shows greater divergence between habitats, particularly for males. These results are consistent with adaptations to flow velocity, and suggest that variation in shape may be more constrained in females. I also provide empirical evidence for an adaptive benefit of the observed shape change (i.e., drag reduction) and a brief comment on the relative roles of genetic divergence and phenotypic plasticity in generating shape differences observed in this species. © The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. All rights reserved.