Evolution of a cichlid fish in a Lake Malawi satellite lake.

Allopatric divergence in peripheral habitats may lead to rapid evolution of populations with novel phenotypes. In this study we provide the first evidence that isolation in peripheral habitats may have played a critical role in generation of Lake Malawi's cichlid fish diversity. We show that Lake Chilingali, a satellite lake 11.5 km from the shore of Lake Malawi, contains a breeding population of Rhamphochromis, a predatory genus previously thought to be restricted to Lake Malawi and permanently connected water bodies. The Lake Chilingali population is the smallest known Rhamphochromis, has a unique male nuptial colour pattern and has significant differentiation in mitochondrial DNA from Lake Malawi species. In laboratory mate choice trials with a candidate sister population from Lake Malawi, females showed a strong tendency to mate assortatively indicating that they are incipient biological species. These data support the hypothesis that isolation and reconnection of peripheral habitats due to lake level changes have contributed to the generation of cichlid diversity within African lakes. Such cycles of habitat isolation and reconnection may also have been important in evolutionary diversification of numerous other abundant and wide-ranging aquatic organisms, such as marine fishes and invertebrates.

Reproductive isolation among deep-water cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi differing in monochromatic male breeding dress.

Male nuptial colour hues are important for the maintenance of reproductive isolation among cichlid fish species, and environmental changes that lead to narrower light spectra can lead to hybridization. However, cichlid species can naturally co-occur in narrow light spectrum habitats, such as turbid shallow lakes and the deep benthic zones of African rift lakes. Closely related species from narrow light spectrum habitats tend to differ little in the palette of male nuptial colours, thus for these taxa differences in colour patterns may be more important than differences in colour hue for species recognition. To investigate this hypothesis we examined morphometric and genetic differentiation among males of four sympatric putative species within the deep-water genus Diplotaxodon. These taxa live in a narrow-light spectrum environment where only blue light is present, and males differ primarily in 'monochromatic' black, white and silver patterning of the body and fins. Significant genetic differentiation was present among taxa in both microsatellite DNA and mitochondrial DNA, including one pair with no significant morphometric differentiation. Thus, these taxa represent reproductively isolated biological species, a result consistent with male nuptial patterning being important for species recognition and assortative mating. As such, we suggest that narrow-light spectra need not always represent barriers to effective visually mediated mate recognition.

Female preference for conspecific males based on olfactory cues in a Lake Malawi cichlid fish.

Research on reproductive isolation in African cichlid fishes has largely focused on the role of nuptial colours, but other sensory modes may play an important role in mate choice. Here, we compare the relative importance of visual and olfactory cues in mate recognition by females of a Lake Malawi cichlid species. Female Pseudotropheus emmiltos were given a choice of spawning next to a conspecific male or a male of the closely-related sympatric Pseudotropheus fainzilberi. Significant preference for conspecific males only occurred when olfactory cues were present. This suggests that divergence of olfactory signals may have been an important influence on the explosive radiation of the East African species flock.