In fact, our findings of temperature-related divergence of developmental and ontogenetic timing traits are very much in agreement with findings in other salmonid systems with recent origin.
Combining environmental, ontogenetic, and trait variables in one analysis can test whether traits can lead to coexistence and determine the important links between the environment and vital rates, mediated by traits, that drive coexistence.
Confirming these mechanisms, however, requires that potential environmental, ontogenetic, and trait influences are analyzed together.
This involves diaspore characteristics, plant ontogenetic and morphological traits, as well as reproductive strategies.
Indeed, temporal linkages among life cycle events may mean that evolution of some ontogenetic and phenological traits are derived, in part, from constraints acting at other life stages (Stearns 1976; Moran 1994; Sinervo and Svensson 1998).
This will be advantageous for future studies on the ontogenetic development of complex traits such as anxiety-related behavior.
Considering ontogenetic variation in floral traits of Iris gracilipes, Ishii & Morinaga [ 18] found the pattern of correlations within individuals was basically similar to that among individuals.
In fact, in cross-sectional analyses ontogenetic variation in any trait due to phenotypic plasticity cannot be distinguished from the effect of selection, and spurious associations between phenotype and age can arise at the population level if survival depends on phenotype [30].
In particular, ontogenetic change (HON3), a trait under relatively high genetic control (h 2 of 0.276), appeared to be involved in microevolutionary change under these close-to-nature conditions.
Studies of intrapopulation variation in this species have revealed that the amount of black on dorsal surface can be highly variable within a single population [ 10], and the trait shows ontogenetic variability [ 20].
