Life in the Slow Lane: Ecology and Conservation of Long-Lived Marine Animals

1999 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Shark Species ◽  
Fishing Pressure ◽  
Marine Animals ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Stock Assessments ◽  
History Of

<em> Abstract.</em>—Sharks have the reputation of being particularly vulnerable to fishing pressure, a fact attributed to their generally ‘<EM> K</EM>-selected’ life history strategies. The history of shark fisheries is not encouraging, and their poor record of sustainability is compounded by the fact that few countries have any form of management for these resources. The Australian Southern Shark Fishery provides an example of a well-studied shark fishery with a long history of exploitation that has been under a management plan for some ten years. This fishery is unique in that it exploits, under a similar fishing regime, two similar target shark species that show very different responses to fishing pressure. Stock assessments suggest that under current fishing effort the catch of one species is sustainable while the other species is overexploited. The vulnerability of the two species to the fishing gear is similar but their biological productivity is very different. The selective pressures that may have given rise to these different life history strategies are discussed.

Serotiny and life history of Pinus contorta var. latifolia

1985 ◽  
Vol 63 (5) ◽  
pp. 938-945 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patricia S. Muir ◽  
James E. Lotan
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Gene Flow ◽  
Pinus Contorta ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Basal Area ◽  
Western Montana ◽  
Tree Age ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
Area Growth ◽  
History Of

Mature serotinous and nonserotinous trees of Pinus contorta Dougl. var. latifolia Engelm. in the Bitterroot Watershed of western Montana do not differ in most life-history characteristics (reproductive or vegetative). No differences between trees of the two cone types were found in height, basal area, basal area growth rates over the lives of the trees, or crown ratio. Cone number, weights of individual cones and seeds, and estimates of reproductive effort were similar in serotinous and non-serotinous trees. Reproductive characteristics were either independent of tree age, or related similarly in trees of the two cone types. Nonserotinous trees may, however, have more seeds per cone than serotinous trees. This difference in seed numbers may be adaptive if serotinous trees invest relatively heavily in cone materials to protect seeds (which are retained in cones for many years), while nonserotinous trees (which shed seeds each year) invest relatively heavily in seeds. Trees of the two cone types differ mainly in the particular types of disturbance favoring their regeneration, but they often grow in the same stands where there are similar selective pressures on most aspects of their biology. Gene flow between them probably homogenizes all but those differences maintained by strong selective pressures.

scholarly journals Contrasting effects of climate change on seasonal survival of a hibernating mammal

2020 ◽  
Vol 117 (30) ◽  
pp. 18119-18126 ◽  
Author(s):  
Line S. Cordes ◽  
Daniel T. Blumstein ◽  
Kenneth B. Armitage ◽  
Paul J. CaraDonna ◽  
Dylan Z. Childs ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Population Dynamics ◽  
Life History ◽  
Environmental Conditions ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Environmental Drivers ◽  
Age Classes ◽  
History Of ◽  
Colorado Rocky Mountains

Seasonal environmental conditions shape the behavior and life history of virtually all organisms. Climate change is modifying these seasonal environmental conditions, which threatens to disrupt population dynamics. It is conceivable that climatic changes may be beneficial in one season but result in detrimental conditions in another because life-history strategies vary between these time periods. We analyzed the temporal trends in seasonal survival of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) and explored the environmental drivers using a 40-y dataset from the Colorado Rocky Mountains (USA). Trends in survival revealed divergent seasonal patterns, which were similar across age-classes. Marmot survival declined during winter but generally increased during summer. Interestingly, different environmental factors appeared to drive survival trends across age-classes. Winter survival was largely driven by conditions during the preceding summer and the effect of continued climate change was likely to be mainly negative, whereas the likely outcome of continued climate change on summer survival was generally positive. This study illustrates that seasonal demographic responses need disentangling to accurately forecast the impacts of climate change on animal population dynamics.

scholarly journals Mobulid rays feed on euphausiids in the Bohol Sea

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 161060 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christoph A. Rohner ◽  
Katherine B. Burgess ◽  
Joshua M. Rambahiniarison ◽  
Joshua D. Stewart ◽  
Alessandro Ponzo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Food Resource ◽  
Stomach Contents ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Fishing Activity ◽  
Prey Preferences ◽  
Manta Birostris ◽  
History Of ◽  
By Catch ◽  
Mobula Japanica

Mobulid rays have a conservative life history and are caught in direct fisheries and as by-catch. Their subsequent vulnerability to overexploitation has recently been recognized, but fisheries management can be ineffective if it ignores habitat and prey preferences and other trophic interactions of the target species. Here, we assessed the feeding ecology of four mobulids ( Manta birostris , Mobula tarapacana , M. japanica , M. thurstoni ) in the Bohol Sea, Philippines, using stomach contents analysis of fisheries specimens landed between November and May in 2013–2015. We show that the mobulids feed heavily on euphausiid krill while they are in the area for approximately six months of the year. We found almost no trophic separation among the mobulid species, with Euphausia diomedeae as the major prey item for all species, recorded in 81 of 89 total stomachs (91%). Mobula japanica and M. thurstoni almost exclusively had this krill in their stomach, while M. tarapacana had a squid and fish, and Ma. birostris had myctophid fishes and copepods in their stomachs in addition to E. diomedeae . This krill was larger than prey for other planktivorous elasmobranchs elsewhere and contributed a mean of 61 364 kcal per stomach (±105 032 kcal s.e., range = 0–631 167 kcal). Our results show that vertically migrating mesopelagic species can be an important food resource for large filter feeders living in tropical seas with oligotrophic surface waters. Given the conservative life history of mobulid rays, the identification of common foraging grounds that overlap with fishing activity could be used to inform future fishing effort.

scholarly journals Patterns of genomic diversification reflect differences in life history and reproductive biology between figs (Ficus) and the stone oaks (Lithocarpus)

Genome ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 60 (9) ◽  
pp. 756-761 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chai-Shian Kua ◽  
Charles H. Cannon
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Evolutionary Relationship ◽  
Genomic Diversity ◽  
Evolutionary Strategies ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Genomic Divergence ◽  
History Of ◽  
Background History ◽  
Diverse Groups

One of the remarkable aspects of the tremendous biodiversity found in tropical forests is the wide range of evolutionary strategies that have produced this diversity, indicating many paths to diversification. We compare two diverse groups of trees with profoundly different biologies to discover whether these differences are reflected in their genomes. Ficus (Moraceae), with its complex co-evolutionary relationship with obligate pollinating wasps, produces copious tiny seeds that are widely dispersed. Lithocarpus (Fagaceae), with generalized insect pollination, produces large seeds that are poorly dispersed. We hypothesize that these different reproductive biologies and life history strategies should have a profound impact on the basic properties of genomic divergence within each genus. Using shallow whole genome sequencing for six species of Ficus, seven species of Lithocarpus, and three outgroups, we examined overall genomic diversity, how it is shared among the species within each genus, and the fraction of this shared diversity that agrees with the major phylogenetic pattern. A substantially larger fraction of the genome is shared among species of Lithocarpus, a considerable amount of this shared diversity was incongruent with the general background history of the genomes, and each fig species possessed a substantially larger fraction of unique diversity than Lithocarpus.

scholarly journals Evolution of morphological and climatic adaptations inVeronica L.(Plantaginaceae)

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2333 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian-Cheng Wang ◽  
Bo-Rong Pan ◽  
Dirk C. Albach
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Substitution Rate ◽  
Parallel Evolution ◽  
Morphological Characters ◽  
Annual Species ◽  
Selective Pressures ◽  
History Of ◽  
Phylogenetic Perspective ◽  
Drought Resistant ◽  
Annual Life History

Perennials and annuals apply different strategies to adapt to the adverse environment, based on ‘tolerance’ and ‘avoidance’, respectively. To understand lifespan evolution and its impact on plant adaptability, we carried out a comparative study of perennials and annuals in the genusVeronicafrom a phylogenetic perspective. The results showed that ancestors of the genusVeronicawere likely to be perennial plants. Annual life history ofVeronicahas evolved multiple times and subtrees with more annual species have a higher substitution rate. Annuals can adapt to more xeric habitats than perennials. This indicates that annuals are more drought-resistant than their perennial relatives. Due to adaptation to similar selective pressures, parallel evolution occurs in morphological characters among annual species ofVeronica.

scholarly journals The influence of initial developmental status on the life-history of sea trout (Salmo trutta)

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diego del Villar-Guerra ◽  
Martin H. Larsen ◽  
Henrik Baktoft ◽  
Anders Koed ◽  
Kim Aarestrup
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Salmo Trutta ◽  
Return Rate ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Passive Integrated Transponder ◽  
Marine Life ◽  
Sea Trout ◽  
Osmoregulatory Capacity ◽  
History Of ◽  
One Year

Abstract Spring migrating sea trout juveniles can be classified as parr, pre-smolt or smolt based on body morphology and osmoregulatory capacity. In this respect, parr are assumed to be less prepared for a marine life and to have lower survival at sea than pre-smolts and smolts. However, the behaviour and survival of these trout phenotypes upon entering the sea is not well known. Using passive integrated transponder telemetry, this study found that the return rate from the sea to the natal river was higher for parr compared to pre-smolts and smolts. Additionally, trout classified as parr generally migrated earlier to the sea and a larger proportion returned to the river after less than one year at sea. The daily mortality rate at sea was comparable among the different phenotypes of trout, suggesting that the higher proportion of returning parr to the river was linked to their shorter duration at sea. These results provide evidence of different life-history strategies for seaward-migrating juvenile sea trout, ultimately affecting their return rate to the natal river. Investigations failing to consider downstream migrating parr and pre-smolts risks neglecting a large part of the anadromous population and may result in inaccurate assessments of sea trout stocks in rivers.

scholarly journals A brief history of lumpfishing, assessment, and management across the North Atlantic

2018 ◽  
Vol 76 (1) ◽  
pp. 181-191 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Kennedy ◽  
Caroline M F Durif ◽  
Ann-Britt Florin ◽  
Alain Fréchet ◽  
Johanne Gauthier ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Large Scale ◽  
Mesh Size ◽  
Management Plan ◽  
Fishing Effort ◽  
Total Allowable Catch ◽  
Cyclopterus Lumpus ◽  
The North ◽  
Size Number ◽  
The Status ◽  
History Of

Abstract This report documents the fishery, assessment, and management of lumpfish (Cyclopterus lumpus) across its distribution range. Targeting lumpfish for their roe on a large scale began in the 1950s in Iceland and Norway and then in Canada in the 1970s and Greenland in the 1990s. When the fishery began, there were few regulations, but limits on vessel size, mesh size, number of nets, and length of the fishing season were gradually implemented over time. Worldwide landings have varied from ca. 2000 to 8000 tonnes of roe between 1977 and 2016. Iceland and Canada accounted for &gt;80% of the landings until 2000. After 2013, Greenland and Iceland accounted for &gt;94%. All countries except Iceland show a decreasing trend in the number of boats participating in the fishery, which is related to several factors: the monetary value of the roe, changes in the abundance of lumpfish, and increasing age of artisanal fishers. Each country has a different combination of data available for assessment from basic landings and fishing effort data to more detailed fishery independent survey indices of abundance. The management of total catch also differs, with an effort-controlled fishery in Iceland and Canada, a total allowable catch (TAC) per boat in Norway, and TAC per area in Greenland. Population abundance is above management targets in Iceland and Norway, but the status is less clear in Greenland and around Denmark/Sweden and appears to be depleted around Canada. Certification by the Marine Stewardship Council was instrumental in the adoption of a management plan in Greenland; however, benefits to the fishers remain unclear. Aspects surrounding the biology of lumpfish, which is poorly understood and requires investigation, include growth rate, natural mortality, and population differentiation. In addition, there is concern about the potential impacts that the recent escalation in production of lumpfish for use as cleaner fish in the aquaculture industry could have on the wild population.

scholarly journals A new maximum body size record for the Berry Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilus gulolineatus) and genus Gyrinophilus (Caudata, Plethodontidae) with a comment on body size in plethodontid salamanders

2018 ◽  
Vol 28 ◽  
pp. 29-38
Author(s):  
Nicholas S. Gladstone ◽  
Evin T. Carter ◽  
K. Denise Kendall Niemiller ◽  
Lindsey E. Hayter ◽  
Matthew L. Niemiller
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Large Body ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Large Individual ◽  
Plethodontid Salamander ◽  
Plethodontid Salamanders ◽  
The Family ◽  
History Of

Lungless salamanders in the family Plethodontidae exhibit an impressive array of life history strategies and occur in a diversity of habitats, including caves. However, relationships between life history, habitat, and body size remain largely unresolved. During an ongoing study on the demography and life history of the paedomorphic, cave-obligate Berry Cave Salamander (Gyrinophilusgulolineatus, Brandon 1965), we discovered an exceptionally large individual from the type locality, Berry Cave, Roane County, Tennessee, USA. This salamander measured 145 mm in body length and represents not only the largest G.gulolineatus and Gyrinophilus ever reported, but also the largest plethodontid salamander in the United States. We discuss large body size in G.gulolineatus and compare body size in other large plethodontid salamanders in relation to life history and habitat.

scholarly journals Building a better frog trap: The benefits of mal-adaptive habitat choice for metapopulations with different life history strategies

2014 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosemary Hartman ◽  
Noam Ross
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Maximum Growth ◽  
Habitat Choice ◽  
Ecological Trap ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Bet Hedging ◽  
Juvenile Mortality ◽  
History Of ◽  
Varying Environments

By spatially distributing offspring among several habitat patches in varying environments, an organism can "hedge its bets" to protect against bad conditions in any single patch. This strategy can maintain populations even when some or even all locations are, on average, population sinks. However, species may not have evolved this bet-hedging mechanism, especially when sink environments are anthropogenic "traps" - locations where traditional habitat cues have been altered. Using a model based on the life history of the Cascades frog (*Rana cascadae*), we examine the conditions that maximize growth in an environment with ecological traps created by the introduction of predators. In a temporally stochastic environment, maximum growth rates occur when some juveniles disperse to the trap. We then examine how different life histories and predation regimes affect the ability of an organism gain an advantage by bet-hedging, and find that bet-hedging can be less useful when the ecological trap drives adult, rather than juvenile, mortality.

scholarly journals Dentition and Life History of a 16-year-old Known-age Free-living Male Lion Panthera leo (Linnaeus, 1758) from the Kruger National Park

Koedoe ◽  
1988 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
I.J. Whyte ◽  
G.L. Smuts
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
National Park ◽  
Age Determination ◽  
Kruger National Park ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Panthera Leo ◽  
Free Living ◽  
History Of

Wear in the dentition of a known-age, free-living, 16-year-old male lion is described and compared to existing age-determination techniques. Aspects of his life history are described as they are in some contrast to what is known of male lions' life history strategies.

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