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For animals that live in a reasonably variable environment the capacity for learning and memory allow them to adapt to the changes they experience. Ecological factors that vary between habitats can affect a range of learning behaviours. Less attention has been directed at how this variation may affect memory processes, or how different ecological variables might interact when shaping cognition and behaviour. Therefore one aim of this thesis was to investigate how different ecological variables shape memory abilities and to test whether those same variables affect other related behaviours such as learning. In order to test this, I selected natural populations of a temperate freshwater fish, the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from pond and river habitats that were proposed to differ in predation pressure, and assayed their learning, memory and other behavioural traits. Pond and river populations differed in their memory and orientation behaviour. An interaction between pond/river habitat and predation pressure affected learning rate, and a similar interaction affected temperament behaviours. Two further studies were conducted to address how captive rearing environments and typical handling procedures affect behaviour in different species. Rearing environment affected memory, but not learning or temperament behaviours in three-spined sticklebacks. Handling caused stress responses in three-spined sticklebacks, Panamanian bishops (Brachyraphis episcopi) and Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss), but handling with a water filled scoop compared to a traditional dip-net decreased these responses in three-spined sticklebacks and Panamanian bishops, and also affected behaviour in Panamanian bishops. The results presented in this thesis suggest that ecological variables play a substantial role in shaping learning, memory and other behavioural traits in fish, and highlight the utility of behavioural assays in answering welfare-based questions.

Human-induced eutrophication is indirectly affecting aquatic organisms by altering their environment. This brings on altered selective pressures and could thereby cause changes in the genetic composition of exposed populations. Since anthropogenic environmental changes are usually occurring at a much higher rate than naturally occurring changes, they force populations to adapt to the new conditions faster than normal. Here, I have studied populations of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from four eutrophicated and four adjacent reference sites, along the coast of Finland, to investigate if this species has responded genetically to the human-induced eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. For this purpose I used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and found distinctions in genetic composition between the two habitats, as well as similarities between populations from eutrophicated sites. This suggests a similar genetic response to eutrophicated conditions by stickleback populations from different geographical areas. Moreover I found a distinct geographic structure among three-spined sticklebacks in the Baltic Sea.

Human-induced eutrophication is indirectly affecting aquatic organisms by altering their environment. This brings on altered selective pressures and could thereby cause changes in the genetic composition of exposed populations. Since anthropogenic environmental changes are usually occurring at a much higher rate than naturally occurring changes, they force populations to adapt to the new conditions faster than normal. Here, I have studied populations of three-spined sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) from four eutrophicated and four adjacent reference sites, along the coast of Finland, to investigate if this species has responded genetically to the human-induced eutrophication of the Baltic Sea. For this purpose I used amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) and found distinctions in genetic composition between the two habitats, as well as similarities between populations from eutrophicated sites. This suggests a similar genetic response to eutrophicated conditions by stickleback populations from different geographical areas. Moreover I found a distinct geographic structure among three-spined sticklebacks in the Baltic Sea.

Gasterosteus aculeatus (threespine stickleback) is a well-known model for behavioral and evolutionary studies. Rapid evolutionary radiations in postglacial timeframes have promoted distinct local populations with remarkable variation in biological characteristics. This study examines genetic and morphological variation among populations from the Thlewiaza watershed, specifically an isolated freshwater population in Nueltin Lake. Statistically significant genetic differences were observed using 11 microsatellite loci; FST values ranged from 0.29 (within watershed) to 0.48 (between watersheds) in comparison with the Nueltin Lake population. Gene flow between populations was likely inhibited due to isostatic rebound following the recent deglaciation of North America, 8.5 kya. In comparison with similar freshwater populations, the retention of defensive structures in G. aculeatus from Nueltin Lake was unexpected, and may reflect strong piscivorous predation pressures. Levels of differentiation, both genetic and morphological, observed in the Nueltin Lake population are highly significant, and should be recognised as a Designatable Unit (DU).

Gasterosteus aculeatus (threespine stickleback) is a well-known model for behavioral and evolutionary studies. Rapid evolutionary radiations in postglacial timeframes have promoted distinct local populations with remarkable variation in biological characteristics. This study examines genetic and morphological variation among populations from the Thlewiaza watershed, specifically an isolated freshwater population in Nueltin Lake. Statistically significant genetic differences were observed using 11 microsatellite loci; FST values ranged from 0.29 (within watershed) to 0.48 (between watersheds) in comparison with the Nueltin Lake population. Gene flow between populations was likely inhibited due to isostatic rebound following the recent deglaciation of North America, 8.5 kya. In comparison with similar freshwater populations, the retention of defensive structures in G. aculeatus from Nueltin Lake was unexpected, and may reflect strong piscivorous predation pressures. Levels of differentiation, both genetic and morphological, observed in the Nueltin Lake population are highly significant, and should be recognised as a Designatable Unit (DU).

Les tests écotoxicologiques en conditions écosystémiques, tels que ceux que l’on peut réaliser en mésocosmes,présentent une plus grande pertinence écologique que les tests normalisés en laboratoire. Ilspermettent d’intégrer les interactions complexes entre les espèces, entre le biotope et la biocénose. Cependant,en contrepartie de leur complexité, ces systèmes présentent une variabilité importante qu’il s’agitde réduire, par une standardisation expérimentale poussée, ou d’identifier les facteurs explicatifs pourmieux mettre en lumière des différences entre traitements. Dans le cadre de cette thèse, nous avons enoutre fait le choix d’une espèce sur laquelle focaliser nos efforts, le poisson, ici l’épinoche à trois épines,Gasterosteus aculeatus, en le considérant comme un bon indicateur de l’état de santé du mésocosme. Ilnous est apparu plus judicieux, dans le cadre des études en mésocosmes, de se concentrer sur une espèceintégratrice en parallèle d’une analyse globale d’abondance des espèces.L’objectif de cette thèse était donc de mieux comprendre la dynamique de populations de l’épinoche àtrois épines dans les mésocosmes de l’Ineris afin d’améliorer les protocoles utilisés et l’analyse des donnéesobtenues lors des études écotoxicologiques. Pour y parvenir, des expériences ont été réalisées afinde caractériser les processus et les traits d’histoire de vie de l’espèce dans notre site d’étude ; un protocolea été proposé pour effectuer des expériences en mésocosmes ciblées sur l’étude de la dynamique despoissons ; deux années d’expérience ont permis d’acquérir des données en conditions témoins et de mieuxsaisir les facteurs confondants ; nous avons mis en application nos connaissances en évaluant les effets dubisphénol A (BPA) sur la dynamique de population de poissons exposés à 0, 1, 10 et 100 μg/L de BPA.Nous avons ainsi pu décrire et expliquer la dynamique de la population de l’épinoche dans les mésocosmespar quatre phases distinctes : une augmentation massive des effectifs en raison de la reproduction desfondateurs ; une diminution importante des effectifs en raison d’une saturation des capacités du système ;une faible reprise ; une nouvelle chute à la fin de la période de reproduction. S’agissant du BPA, des effetssignificatifs ont été mis en évidence sur les individus (atrophie des gonades), mais également à l’échellede la population (structure de la population). / Ecotoxicity tests in ecosystemic conditions, such as those that can be performed in mesocosms, providea substantial ecological relevance. They permit to integrate complex inter-species interactions, interactionsbetween the organisms and the environmental conditions, and permit to assess perturbations witha systemic view. However, in return, these systems present a high variability that should be reduced,through experimental standardization or by identifying explicative factors, to better assess the differencebetween the outputs of the different treatments. In this thesis, we also focused on one species, of fish,the three-spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus), considering that it is good indicator of the healthstatus of the experimental ecosystem. We suggest that is more appropriate to focus on an integrativespecies in parallel to a global analysis in the context of mesocosms studies.The goal of this thesis was thus to better understand sticklebacks population dynamics in INERIS mesocosmsto improve the experimental protocols and the data analysis in ecotoxicity studies. To achieve thisgoal, studies were performed to characterize life cycle traits and processes of the species ; an experimentalprotocol was proposed to perform mesocosms studies with a focus on fish population dynamics; the datafrom two years of mesocosms studies in control conditions permitted to better understand the confoundingfactors ; we applied the methodolgoy to assess the effects of bisphenol A (BPA) on fish populationdynamics with expsoure concentrations 0, 1, 10 and 100 μg/L BPA.We could describe and explain stickleback population dynamics divided by four periods: first a massiveabundance increase due to the first reproduction of the founders in the mesocosms; second an importantdecrease due to the saturation of the system ; third a short increase ; finaly a new drop due to the endof reproduction. For BPA, effects were observed both at individual and at population levels.

The seasonal reproduction of the three-spined stickleback is stimulated by long day photoperiod. As in other vertebrates, the reproductive system of stickleback is regulated by the brain-pituitary-gonadal (BPG) axis which is largely controlled by feedback effects. Both negative and positive feedback effects on the BPG axis have been found in fish. So far, the roles feedback effects on the BPG axis play in the photoperiodic regulation of seasonal reproduction are still unclear. This thesis focused on the photoperiodic regulation and gonadal feedback effects on the gene expressions of gonadotropin (GtH) and gonadotropin-releasing hormones (GnRH) in the brain and pituitary, and how gonadal feedback regulated the steroid homeostasis in stickleback.Both GnRH2 and GnRH3 mRNA was found in the hypothalamus. Higher expression levels of both GnRH2 and 3 in breeding than in post-breeding males suggested that they are both involved in seasonal reproduction. There was no evidence for a role of GnRH3, which may be the dominating form, in the photoperiodic control of reproduction. However, the polarity of the feedback effect on gnrh3 gene expression may turn from positive to be negative when the males went into post-breeding state. Tapeworm, Schistocephalus solidus, infection inhibited the reproduction of sticklebacks. However, the infection caused higher expression levels of both GnRHs and GtHs genes, which may be due to feedback effect on the BPG axis.Under short day, both lh-β and fsh-β were suppressed by low androgen levels. This negative feedback may inhibit maturation completely, unless a rise of androgens triggers positive feedback under long day. The change in feedback polarity may result in all or nothing maturation. Furthermore, the androgen inhibitory effect on lh-β and fsh-β under short day could be abolished by aromatase inhibitor, which means the estrogen may cause negative feedback in males under short day.There was no compensation effect on plasma androgen level in fully mature hemi-castrated fish. However, both testosterone and 11-ketoandrostenedione treatments increased plasma levels much less in sham-operated fish than in castrated ones, indicating that homeostatic mechanisms are nevertheless present. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows<strong>:  </strong>Paper 1: Submitted. Paper 3: Submitted. Paper 4: Submitted.</p>

The last century, humans have been altering almost all natural environments at an accelerating rate, including the Baltic Sea that has highly eutrophicated areas and many coastal industries such as Pulp-mills. For animals living in a habitat that changes there are basically two alternatives, either to cope with the change or become locally extinct. This thesis aims to investigate if recent anthropogenic disturbance in the Baltic Sea can affect natural populations on a genetic level through natural selection. First, we found a fine-scale genetic structure in three-spine sticklebacks (Gasterosteus aculeatus) populations along the Swedish coast (paper I), indicating limited gene-flow between populations in geographic proximity. Different genetic markers, specifically Amplified Fragment Lenght Polymorpism (AFLP, and microsatellites,  gave different results, highlighting the heterogeneous character of genomes which demonstrates that it is important to choose a genetic marker that is relevant for the question at hand. With a population genomic approach, and a multilocus genetic marker (AFLP), we detected convergent evolution in genotype composition in stickleback populations living in environments affected by pulp-mill effluent (paper II) and in highly eutrophicated environments (paper III), compared to adjacent reference populations. We found loci, in both studies (paper II, III), that were different from a neutral distribution and thus probably under divergent selection for the habitat differences investigated. The selective effect from pulp-mill effluents were more pronounced, but the two different habitats had mutual characters (AFLP loci). In paper IV, we converted five anonymous AFLP loci to sequenced markers and aligned them to the stickleback genome. Four out of five loci aligned within, or close to, coding regions on chromosome I, chromosome VIII, chromosome XIX and chromosome XX. One of the loci, located on chromosome VIII and identified as under divergent selection in both paper II and III, has been identified in other studies as to be under selection for fresh water adaptation, including Baltic Sea stickleback populations. In conclusion, anthropogenic alterations of natural environments can have evolutionary consequences, probably adaptive, for the animals living there and the evolutionary response exhibited by natural populations can be very fast. / <p>At the time of the doctoral defense, the following papers were unpublished and had a status as follows: Paper 1: Manuscript. Paper 3: Manuscript. Paper 4: Manuscript.</p>

Fiskbestånden i Östersjön har sedan början av 1980-talet genomgått en omfattande förändring. Stora predatorer, som torsk (Gadus morhua) och abborre (Perca fluviatilis) har minskat i antal medan det finns tecken på att storspigg (Gasterosteus aculeatus) har ökat. Denna sannolika ökning av storspigg skulle kunna ha att göra med minskningen av både torsk och abborre som predatorer i de kustnära tångbältena. För att undersöka detta utfördes ett mesokosmexperiment där torskens och abborrens förmåga att predera på storspigg undersöktes, både i ljus och mörker. Hypoteserna som arbetet utgick ifrån var att torsk var en bättre predator i mörker än i ljus och att torsk var en bättre predator än abborre i mörker. Resultaten visar på att torsk är den bättre predatorn i både ljus och mörker, samt att den är lika framgångsrik i mörker som i ljus. Detta tyder på att torskens försvinnande skulle kunna vara en bidragande faktor till ökningen av storspigg. Ytterligare visades abborren vara en mer framgångsrik predator i mörker än i ljus, detta trots att den alltid anges som en visuell predator. Detta visar att även minskningen av abborre skulle kunna vara en anledning till att storspiggen ökar.