Variation in rates of food consumption and evidence for compensatory responses in the three-spined stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus L. in relation to growth and reproduction

Evidence that rates of food consumption differ between individuals in a population is noted. Preliminary estimates of individual variation in a population of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus L.) are provided and compared with similar estimates for a population of Phoxinus. Experimental studies are reviewed to demonstrate the capacity of sticklebacks to compensate for variations in food availability by compensatory changes in food consumption. These changes allowed sticklebacks on fluctuating rations to maintain growth and reproductive performances comparable to sticklebacks receiving constant, daily rations. Such studies start to define the scope for compensation that buffers the effect of environmental variability in food supply.