Parallel evolution? Microsatellite variation of recently isolated marine and freshwater three‐spined stickleback

Abstract

Variation at nine microsatellite loci, four of which are linked to phenotypic traits (spine length and lateral plate morphology) in Canadian three‐spined stickleback Gasterosteus aculeatus , are used to test for selection on marine and freshwater three‐spined stickleback morphs in Iceland. There are indications of strong selection on loci linked to dorsal spine length, providing another potential example of parallel divergence at the genomic level in three‐spined stickleback.