Scotland’s oldest freshwater fish could help answer one of the most fundamental questions about life on earth, according to leading scientists.
Ecologists at Glasgow University say studies of the rapidly changing and highly diverse Arctic charr could reveal what drives new species to evolve.
Arctic charr, a relative of Atlantic salmon and brown trout found only in northerly latitudes, invaded Scotland as the country thawed at the end of the last ice age between 12,000 and 14,000 years ago.
Surveys have found remarkable genetic, physical and behavioural differences between populations, which inhabit more than 250 Scottish lochs.
Professor Colin Adams, director of the university’s Scottish Centre for Ecology and the Natural Environment, and his team are trying to discover why.
Evolution is the most fundamental driving force in the natural world, he said. It is the process that gives rise to new species and gives us the wonderful biodiversity in the natural world that we cherish.
Despite that we have known about the basic process for over 150 years we still do not fully understand how evolution works in some circumstances. One of the things is how it can, at times, operate very quickly.
Among Arctic charr, different populations vary in a range of characteristics so that some experts believe the fish should be reclassified into distinct species.
Some of the obvious differences include colouring, which varies from subtle mottling to vivid red, and head shapes that can be slim or more robust. These characteristics have developed in adaptation to conditions in particular lochs.