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Fisheries-induced evolutionary changes in maturation reaction norms in North Sea sole Solea solea
Mollet, F.M.; Kraak, S.B.M.; Rijnsdorp, A.D. (2007). Fisheries-induced evolutionary changes in maturation reaction norms in North Sea sole Solea solea. Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser. 351: 189-199. http://dx.doi.org/10.3354/meps07138
In: Marine Ecology Progress Series. Inter-Research: Oldendorf/Luhe. ISSN 0171-8630; e-ISSN 1616-1599, more
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
Keywords
    Biological phenomena > Evolution
    Life history
    Maturation
    Population characteristics > Biomass
    Population functions > Growth
    Properties > Biological properties > Sexual maturity
    Solea solea (Linnaeus, 1758) [WoRMS]
    ANE, North Sea [Marine Regions]
    Marine/Coastal
Author keywords
    life history evolution; probabilistic maturation reaction norm;phenotypic plasticity; growth; condition
Authors  Top 
  • Mollet, F.M.
  • Kraak, S.B.M., more
  • Rijnsdorp, A.D., more
Abstract
    Age and size at maturation decreased in several commercially exploited fish stocks, which, according to life history theory, may be due to fisheries-induced evolutionary change. However, the observed changes may also represent a plastic response to environmental variability. To disentangle phenotypic plasticity from evolutionary change, the probabilistic reaction norm approach was applied to 43 cohorts (1960 to 2002) of female sole Solea solea from market samples. The reaction norm for age and size at first maturation has significantly shifted towards younger age and smaller size. Size at 50% probability of maturation at Age 3 decreased from 28.6 cm (251 g) to 24.6 cm (128 g). This change was even stronger when condition was included as a third dimension in the reaction norm estimation. The influence of alternative factors was tested on the population level by regression of reaction norm midpoints on annual estimates of condition, temperature and competitive biomass. Although effects of temperature and competitive biomass were significant, the variation in the midpoints was best explained by the decreasing time trend. Therefore, the results provide strong evidence for a fisheries-induced evolutionary change in the onset of sexual maturity.
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