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Science 9 April 1993:
Vol. 260. no. 5105, pp. 216 - 219
DOI: 10.1126/science.260.5105.216
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Articles

Frequency-Dependent Natural Selection in the Handedness of Scale-Eating Cichlid Fish

Michio Hori 1

1 Department of Biology, Wakayama Medical College, 651 Hironishi, Wakayama 649-63, Japan

Frequency-dependent natural selection has been cited as a mechanism for maintaining polymorphisms in biological populations, although the process has not been documented conclusively in field study. Here, it is demonstrated that the direction of mouth-opening (either left-handed or right-handed) in scale-eating cichlid fish of Lake Tanganyika is determined on the basis of simple genetics and that the abundance of individuals with left- or right-handedness depends on frequency-dependent natural selection. Attacking from behind, right-handed individuals snatched scales from the prey's left flank and left-handed ones from the right flank. Within a given population, the frequency of the two phenotypes oscillated around unity. This phenomenon was effected through frequency-dependent selection exerted by the prey's alertness. Thus, individuals of the rare phenotype had more success as predators than those of the more common phenotype.

Submitted on November 4, 1992
Accepted on February 4, 1993


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