Tropical rays are intrinsically more sensitive to overfishing than the temperate skates

Barrowclift, Ellen; Gravel, Sarah; Pardo, Sebastián A.; Bigman, Jennifer S.; Berggren, Per; Dulvy, Nicholas K.

doi:10.1016/j.biocon.2023.110003

Cited by 13 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 80 publications

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“…Skates are found in cooler waters, either in deep and cool water found on tropical slopes or across depths in temperate and polar waters. Compared to the cold-habitat skates, warm, shallow-water tropical rays have recently been found to have lower r max and therefore greater intrinsic sensitivity to anthropogenic threats such as overfishing [27]. This contrasts with typical metabolic scaling patterns of life histories in relation to temperature and depth.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The superorder Batoidea (rays and skates) offer the unique opportunity that reproductive mode, and therefore offspring size and number, varies within a diverse evolutionary radiation. Paradoxically, warm, shallow-water tropical rays have lower r max (and hence, are more intrinsically sensitive to overfishing) than cold, deep-water temperate skates with higher r max [27]. Most tropical rays are live-bearers with very low fecundity and larger offspring compared to cooler-water skates that lay numerous eggs with smaller offspring size [28,29].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Offspring size resolves a latitudinal population growth rate paradox in rays and skates

Barrowclift,

Bigman,

Digel

et al. 2024

Preprint

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As animal populations continue to decline, understanding global patterns of life histories will improve our predictions of species vulnerability and extinction risk to prioritise management. Sharks and rays are threatened with extinction due to overfishing, particularly in the tropics and sub-tropics. Metabolic theory suggests that warm-water species and populations will have a higher maximum intrinsic rate of population increase (rmax) and therefore will be less intrinsically sensitive to exploitation. However, recent empirical work has highlighted a paradox and shown that warm, shallow-water tropical rays have lowerrmaxthan cold, deep-water temperate skates. We test whether the different reproductive strategies of live-bearing rays and egg-laying skates explain this observed paradox by comparing variation inrmaxwith adult body mass, offspring size, temperature, and depth across 85 species of rays and skates. Our results show that the large relative offspring size of warm, shallow-water tropical rays better explains their greater intrinsic sensitivity (lowerrmax) compared to cold, deep-water temperate skates. This is consistent with life history theory that suggestsrmaxis greater in species with smaller relative offspring size. We hypothesise that the larger relative offspring size may be driven by greater predation risk in the tropics and may help explain global patterns of intrinsic sensitivity to overexploitation.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Offspring size resolves a latitudinal population growth rate paradox in rays and skates

Barrowclift,

Bigman,

Digel

et al. 2024

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…Minimum and maximum pup numbers were sourced from Sharks of the World 26 , Rays of the World 27 , IUCN red list 28 , Fishbase 25 , or Barrowclift et al 30 . The sources for maximum and minimum pup numbers were not prioritised, and therefore some maximums and minimums were obtained from different sources.…”

Section: Collection Of Life History Trait Data Required To Parameteri...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…For ray-finned fish, observed values were obtained from Fishbase 25 and, if unavailable, we obtained generation times from the IUCN Red List 28 and age at maturity values from the Animal Diversity Web 45 . For the cartilaginous fish, we obtained generation times (for all species) and longevities (18 species) from the IUCN Red List 28 , and longevity and age at maturity values from the Sharks of the World book 26 , the Rays of the World book 27 or from Barrowclift et al 30 . For one cartilaginous fish, we obtained the longevity value directly from the scientific literature (silvertip shark Carcharhinus albimarginatus) 47 and for the Galapagos shark Carcharhinus galapagensis from Fishbase 25 .…”

Section: Technical Validationmentioning

confidence: 99%

DEBBIES to compare life history strategies across ectotherms

Smallegange,

Lucas

2023

Preprint

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Demographic models are used to explore how survival, growth and reproduction rates structure variation in life history traits (e.g., longevity, generation time, age at maturity) and strategies (pace of life and reproductive strategy) across species. This study presents the DEBBIES dataset that contains estimates of eight life history traits (length at birth, puberty and maximum length, maximum reproduction rate, fraction energy allocated to respiration versus reproduction, von Bertalanffy growth rate, juvenile and adult mortality rate) for 185 ectotherm species. The dataset can be used to parameterise dynamic energy budget integral projection models (DEB-IPMs) to calculate key demographic quantities like population growth rate and demographic resilience, but also link to conservation status, biogeographical characteristics, and evolutionary biology. Our technical validation shows a satisfactory agreement between observed and predicted longevity, generation time, age at maturity across all species. Compared to existing datasets, DEBBIES accommodates (i) easy cross-taxonomical comparisons because all DEB-IPMs have the same structure, (ii) many data-deficient species because no long-term individual data are required, and (iii) population forecasts to novel conditions because DEB-IPMs include a mechanistic description of the tradeoff between growth and reproduction. This dataset has the potential for biologists to unlock general predictions on ectotherm population responses from only a few key life history traits.

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“…Population growth rates (including r max ) generally vary with temperature and maximum body size (and, hence, depth and latitude) across marine fishes. Generally, populations and species in warmer (tropical and/or shallow) habitats have faster life histories and higher r max compared to their deeper or higher‐latitude relatives in cooler waters (Barrowclift et al., 2023; Drazen & Haedrich, 2012). However, r max also decreases with depth independently of temperature in fishes (Drazen & Haedrich, 2012; Pardo & Dulvy, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Metabolism, population growth, and the fast‐slow life history continuum of marine fishes

Gravel,

Bigman,

Pardo

et al. 2024

Fish and Fisheries

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The maximum intrinsic rate of population increase (rmax) represents a population's maximum capacity to replace itself and is central to fisheries management and conservation. Species with lower rmax typically have slower life histories compared to species with faster life histories and higher rmax. Here, we posit that metabolic rate is related to the fast–slow life history continuum and the connection may be stronger for maximum metabolic rate and aerobic scope compared to resting metabolic rate. Specifically, we ask whether variation in rmax or any of its component life‐history traits – age‐at‐maturity, maximum age, and annual reproductive output – explain variation in resting and maximum metabolic rates and aerobic scope across 84 shark and teleost species, while accounting for the effects of measurement temperature, measurement body mass, ecological lifestyle, and evolutionary history. Overall, we find a strong connection between metabolic rate and the fast‐slow life history continuum, such that species with faster population growth (higher rmax) generally have higher maximum metabolic rates and broader aerobic scopes. Specifically, rmax is more important in explaining variation in maximum metabolic rate and aerobic scope compared to resting metabolic rate, which is best explained by age‐at‐maturity (out of the life history traits examined). In conclusion, teleosts and sharks share a common fast–slow physiology/life history continuum, with teleosts generally at the faster end and sharks at the slower end, yet with considerable overlap. Our work improves our understanding of the diversity of fish life histories and may ultimately improve our understanding of intrinsic sensitivity to overfishing.

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Tropical rays are intrinsically more sensitive to overfishing than the temperate skates

Cited by 13 publications

References 80 publications

Offspring size resolves a latitudinal population growth rate paradox in rays and skates

Offspring size resolves a latitudinal population growth rate paradox in rays and skates

DEBBIES to compare life history strategies across ectotherms

Metabolism, population growth, and the fast‐slow life history continuum of marine fishes

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