Objective 3: Trends in use of “life history” and “ecotype”
We conducted three independent searches for the use of the terms, “ecotypes” and “life history” for sticklebacks, PST, and lampreys using the advanced search option in the Web of Science search engine for articles in English, over 30 years (for years 1990 – 2019). Each search included the words “stickleback” or “Oncoryhnchus ” or “lamprey”, with at least one of the words “ecotype life history” in the title of the article, using the operators: (TI=(ecotype OR life history) AND TI=(stickleback)). The same was done for “Oncorhynchus ” and “lamprey”. These searches were executed between November of 2020 and February of 2021. Each article was reviewed to determine the focal species and phenotypes assessed; whether a genetic basis was identified for the diversity in phenotypes; and whether an article used both terms (ecotypes and life history) interchangeably; or both, but independently; or used only one of the terms. Finally, the frequency of term use was calculated and compared among papers.