Relative contributions of evolutionary and ecological dynamics to body size and life-history changes of herring (Clupea harengus) in the Bothnian Sea

Östman, ÖrjanSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences,Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet,Institutionen för akvatiska resurser,Department of Aquatic Resources (author)

Question: What ecological and evolutionary processes are associated with the 25% decrease in age-specific body size of herring (Clupea harengus) in the Bothnian Sea over the last 30 years?Data: Four decades of data on length, age, and sexual maturity of individual herrings as well as environmental variables, including abundances of predators, prey and competitors, and estimates of fishing intensity/mortality from the Bothnian Sea.Search methods: Information-theoretic assessment of the relative influence of ecological and fisheries' effects on temporal changes in body growth. Probabilistic maturation reaction norms to study changes in age-specific size at maturation. Decomposition of trait variation into ecological and evolutionary contributions.Conclusions: Our evolutionary ecosystem perspective shows that both ecological and evolutionary processes are important contributors to observed phenotypic changes in this commercially exploited species. Around 60% of the decrease in age-specific body length can be attributed to increased density-dependent body growth. Evolutionary changes towards earlier maturation, owing to an indirect effect of size-selective mortality from grey seals and fisheries, account for a further 25% of the decrease in age-specific body size.

Kaljuste, OlaviSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences,Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet,Institutionen för akvatiska resurser,Department of Aquatic Resources(Swepub:slu)50823 (author)
Aho, TeijaSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences,Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet,Institutionen för akvatiska resurser,Department of Aquatic Resources(Swepub:slu)48550 (author)
Gårdmark, AnnaSwedish University of Agricultural Sciences,Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet,Institutionen för akvatiska resurser,Department of Aquatic Resources(Swepub:slu)48860 (author)
Sveriges lantbruksuniversitetInstitutionen för akvatiska resurser (creator_code:org_t)
Sveriges lantbruksuniversitet

By the author/editor: Östman, Örjan; Kaljuste, Olavi; Aho, Teija; Gårdmark, Anna

About the subject

AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES: AGRICULTURAL SCI ...; and Agriculture Fore ...; and Fish and Aquacul ...

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