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Dryad

Data from: Consistent seasonal flexibility of the gut and its regions across wild populations of a winter-quiescent fish

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Mar 08, 2024 version files 43.47 KB

Abstract

Here, we investigated phenotypic flexibility in the size of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract across three northern populations of a winter-dormant warm-water fish, pumpkinseed sunfish (Lepomis gibbosus). The dried masses of all gut regions (stomach, pyloric caeca, intestine) were measured approximately biweekly between January and August 2021. In all populations, pumpkinseed exhibited pronounced structural flexibility in the GI tract, aligned with winter and the timing of reproduction. The dry mass of the GI increased by 1.3- to nearly 2.5-fold in the early spring. The pyloric caeca demonstrated the greatest capacity for flexibility, increasing by up to 3.7-fold prior to reproduction. In all populations, minimum dry GI mass was consistently achieved during winter and mid-summer. This capacity for gut flexibility may represent a novel mechanism for facilitating rapid adaptive responses (e.g., metabolic plasticity) to future environmental change.