Density-dependent and independent changes in somatic growth of female North Sea plaice Pleuronecles platessa between 1930 and 1985 as revealed by back-calculation of otoliths

Rijnsdorp, A.D.; Leeuwen, P.I. van

doi:10.3354/meps088019

Cited by 58 publications

(42 citation statements)

References 14 publications

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“…Evidence of compensatory density-dependent processes through increased growth rates at low densities is abundant in exploited populations of distantly related species (Table 2). Reduced growth rates at high densities have been reported for juvenile and adult phases of exploited populations in the case of strong year classes (Bannister 1978;Jones 1983;Rijnsdorp & van Leeuwen 1992, during periods of reduced fishing mortality (Beverton & Holt 1957;Rijnsdorp & van Leeuwen 1992) and also from the comparison of areas with different population densities (Pollock 1991b(Pollock , 1997. Manipulative experiments with coral reef fish (mainly Pomacentridae and Labridae species) also provide evidence that juvenile growth is inversely related to population density (Doherty 1983;Jones 1987a;Forrester 1990;Booth 1995).…”

Section: Growth Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density dependence in marine protected populations: a review

et al. 2000

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SummaryThe cessation or reduction of fishing in marine protected areas (MPAs) should promote an increase in abundance and mean size and age of previously exploited populations. Thus density-dependent changes in life-history characteristics should occur when populations are allowed to recover in MPAs. In this review, we synthesize the existing information on resource limitation in marine ecosystems, densitydependent changes in life-history traits of exploited populations and evidence for biomass export from MPAs. Most evidence for compensatory changes in biological variables has been derived from observations on populations depleted by high fishing mortality or on strong year classes, but these changes are more evident in juveniles than in adults and in freshwater rather than in marine systems. It is unclear if adults of exploited marine populations are resource limited. This may suggest that exploited populations are controlled mainly by density-independent processes, which could be a consequence of the depleted state of most exploited populations. MPAs could be a useful tool for testing these hypotheses. If we assume that resources become limiting inside MPAs, it is plausible that, if suitable habitats exist, mobile species will search for resources outside of the MPAs, leading to export of biomass to areas which are fished. However, it is not possible to establish from the available data whether this export will be a response to resource limitation inside the MPAs, the result of random movements across MPA boundaries or both. We discuss the implications of this process for the use of MPAs as fisheries management tools.

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Section: Growth Ratesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Density dependence in marine protected populations: a review

et al. 2000

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“…The exploitation pattern has been dome shaped with a peak in fishing mortality rate at Age 5 (Grift et al 2003). Superimposed on changes in fishing mortality, food availability has increased, leading to accelerated growth of plaice smaller than 30 cm (Rijnsdorp & Van Leeuwen 1992. Data collection.…”

Section: North Sea Plaicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Statistical analyses show that improved food conditions caused increased growth rates during the second part of the 20th century (Rijnsdorp & Van Leeuwen 1992 resulting in earlier maturation. Above and beyond this effect of phenotypic plasticity, evidence suggests that the maturation schedule of North Sea plaice has also undergone evolutionary changes (Rijnsdorp 1993, Grift et al 2003.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Three-dimensional maturation reaction norms for North Sea plaice

Grift¹,

Heino²,

Rijnsdorp³

et al. 2007

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Probabilistic maturation reaction norms (PMRNs) with up to 3 explanatory dimensions were estimated for female North Sea plaice Pleuronectes platessa. The 3-dimensional PMRNs reported here (1) are the first to be obtained for any organism, (2) reveal the differential capacity of alternative life-history state variables to predict the onset of reproduction, (3) document consistent temporal trends in maturation, and (4) help disentangle the contributions of genetic and plastic effects to these trends. We first show that PMRNs based on age and weight provide slightly more accurate approximations of maturation probabilities than PMRNs based on age and length. At the same time, weight-based PMRNs imply a much wider spread of maturation probabilities than lengthbased PMRNs. We then demonstrate that including condition as a third explanatory variable improves predictions of maturation probability. The resultant 3-dimensional PMRNs for age-lengthcondition or age-weight-condition not only show how, at given size and age, maturation probability increases with condition, but also expose how this impact of condition decreases with age and has changed over time. Our analysis reveals several interesting temporal trends. First, it is demonstrated that even after removing plastic effects on maturation captured by age, length, weight and condition, residual trends towards maturation at younger ages and smaller lengths remain. Second, we find that the width of both length-and weight-based PMRNs decreased significantly over time. Third, age and condition are nowadays affecting maturation probabilities less than they did decades ago. We conclude that plaice are currently maturing at a very low age, size and body condition, and that the narrow and steep reaction norms do not allow a strong continuation of the observed trends. The findings obtained are in good agreement with predictions from life-history theory based on the hypothesis of evolutionary change caused by heavy exploitation.

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“…The selectivity probably changed due to a decrease in the proportion of untrawlable areas following the introduction of heavier gear. Superimposed on changes in fishing mortality, water temperature and food availability increased, leading to accelerated growth of plaice smaller than 30 cm (Rijnsdorp & Van Leeuwen 1992).…”

Section: North Sea Plaicementioning

confidence: 99%