Latitudinal variation in growth rates and limited movement patterns revealed for east-coast snapper Chrysophrys auratus through long-term cooperative-tagging programs

2020 ◽  
Vol 71 (6) ◽  
pp. 653 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Stewart ◽  
Alice Pidd ◽  
Ashley M. Fowler ◽  
Wayne Sumpton

Understanding the spatial ecology of exploited fish stocks is key to their sustainable management. Here we used a long-term cooperative tag and recapture dataset that encompassed the entire distribution of the stock to examine patterns of movement and growth of Chrysophrys auratus (Sparidae) along eastern Australia. More than 24000 individuals were tagged, with 2117 being recaptured with information suitable for analysis of movements and 1440 with information suitable for analysis of growth rates. Individuals ranged in size between 120- and 620-mm fork length at tagging and were at liberty for up to 5.9 years before being recaptured. Results indicated population characteristics of partial migration, whereby the majority (~71%) of fish did not move any detectable distance and a small proportion (~4%) moved between 100 and 1000km. Specific growth rates were significantly affected by the latitude at tagging, with higher growth rates at lower (more northern) latitudes. Our findings suggest that Australian east-coast C. auratus are mainly resident on a subdecadal time scale and at reasonably small spatial scales. When considered with information on latitudinal variation in growth and reproductive biology, localised recruitment and a history of localised fishery declines, assessment and management at local scales may be appropriate.

2001 ◽  
Vol 52 (4) ◽  
pp. 575 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ian A. Knuckey ◽  
K. P. Sivakumaran

Monthly samples of commercial catches of S. brama were collected between May 1996 and December 1997 in three regions of the fishery:off the east coast of Victoria; eastern Tasmania; and western Bass Strait. Sex ratio, gonadosomatic index, macroscopic and histological development, size at maturity and fecundity were estimated and combined with data on growth and mortality to perform per-recruit analyses. The main spawning period was during winter–spring and there was evidence of spawning in each of the three regions. Blue warehou reach maturity at 30–40 cm fork length. They have a determinate annual fecundity and spawn around three batches of eggs during a season. Eggs-per-recruit analyses revealed maximum egg production at ~40 cm (4–5 years) in an unfished population. Gill-net fishing, which targets fish >45 cm, was less likely to affect the relative eggs-per-recruit in a population than trawl fishing, which catches a wider range of smaller fish. These results are discussed in light of the current management arrangements in the fishery and will be used in models to assess the effect of fishing on the long-term sustainability of the blue warehou.


2002 ◽  
Vol 357 (1425) ◽  
pp. 1185-1195 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernt–Erik Sæther ◽  
Steinar Engen

A central question in population ecology is to understand why population growth rates differ over time. Here, we describe how the long–term growth of populations is not only influenced by parameters affecting the expected dynamics, for example form of density dependence and specific population growth rate, but is also affected by environmental and demographic stochasticity. Using long–term studies of fluctuations of bird populations, we show an interaction between the stochastic and the deterministic components of the population dynamics: high specific growth rates at small densities r 1 are typically positively correlated with the environmental variance σ e 2 . Furthermore, θ, a single parameter describing the form of the density regulation in the theta–logistic density–regulation model, is negatively correlated with r 1 . These patterns are in turn correlated with interspecific differences in life–history characteristics. Higher specific growth rates, larger stochastic effects on the population dynamics and stronger density regulation at small densities are found in species with large clutch sizes or high adult mortality rates than in long–lived species. Unfortunately, large uncertainties in parameter estimates, as well as strong stochastic effects on the population dynamics, will often make even short–term population projections unreliable. We illustrate that the concept of population prediction interval can be useful in evaluating the consequences of these uncertainties in the population projections for the choice of management actions.


Diversity ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 67
Author(s):  
Maurizio Rossetto ◽  
Robert Kooyman

Refugia play an important role in contributing to the conservation of species and communities by buffering environmental conditions over time. As large natural landscapes worldwide are declining and are increasingly threatened by extreme events, critical decision-making in biological conservation depends on improved understanding of what is being protected by refugia and why. We provide three novel definitions for refugia (i.e., persistent, future, and temporary) that incorporate ecological and evolutionary dynamics into a land management decision framework and are applicable across changing temporal and spatial settings. Definitions are supported by identification, core value, and management strategy criteria to assist short- and long-term decision-making. We illustrate these concepts using the World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests (WHGR) of eastern Australia, briefly exploring the spatial and temporal factors that can inform the development of conservation management strategies following the extreme fire events of 2019–2020. For the WHGR, available knowledge can be used to protect critical assets by recognizing and implementing buffer zones and corridor connections, and by undertaking emergency translocations of target species into safe areas that will act as future refugia. More broadly, we suggest that the identification and protection of ecological and evolutionary processes across varying temporal and spatial scales is central to securing improved biodiversity conservation outcomes.


2008 ◽  
pp. 94-109 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Sorokin

The problem of the Russian economy’s growth rates is considered in the article in the context of Russia’s backwardness regarding GDP per capita in comparison with the developed countries. The author stresses the urgency of modernization of the real sector of the economy and the recovery of the country’s human capital. For reaching these goals short- or mid-term programs are not sufficient. Economic policy needs a long-term (15-20 years) strategy, otherwise Russia will be condemned to economic inertia and multiplying structural disproportions.


Coral Reefs ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liam Lachs ◽  
Brigitte Sommer ◽  
James Cant ◽  
Jessica M. Hodge ◽  
Hamish A. Malcolm ◽  
...  

AbstractAnthropocene coral reefs are faced with increasingly severe marine heatwaves and mass coral bleaching mortality events. The ensuing demographic changes to coral assemblages can have long-term impacts on reef community organisation. Thus, understanding the dynamics of subtropical scleractinian coral populations is essential to predict their recovery or extinction post-disturbance. Here we present a 10-yr demographic assessment of a subtropical endemic coral, Pocillopora aliciae (Schmidt-Roach et al. in Zootaxa 3626:576–582, 2013) from the Solitary Islands Marine Park, eastern Australia, paired with long-term temperature records. These coral populations are regularly affected by storms, undergo seasonal thermal variability, and are increasingly impacted by severe marine heatwaves. We examined the demographic processes governing the persistence of these populations using inference from size-frequency distributions based on log-transformed planar area measurements of 7196 coral colonies. Specifically, the size-frequency distribution mean, coefficient of variation, skewness, kurtosis, and coral density were applied to describe population dynamics. Generalised Linear Mixed Effects Models were used to determine temporal trends and test demographic responses to heat stress. Temporal variation in size-frequency distributions revealed various population processes, from recruitment pulses and cohort growth, to bleaching impacts and temperature dependencies. Sporadic recruitment pulses likely support population persistence, illustrated in 2010 by strong positively skewed size-frequency distributions and the highest density of juvenile corals measured during the study. Increasing mean colony size over the following 6 yr indicates further cohort growth of these recruits. Severe heat stress in 2016 resulted in mass bleaching mortality and a 51% decline in coral density. Moderate heat stress in the following years was associated with suppressed P. aliciae recruitment and a lack of early recovery, marked by an exponential decrease of juvenile density (i.e. recruitment) with increasing heat stress. Here, population reliance on sporadic recruitment and susceptibility to heat stress underpin the vulnerability of subtropical coral assemblages to climate change.


Author(s):  
A. D. Chalfoun

Abstract Purpose of Review Anthropogenic activities can lead to the loss, fragmentation, and alteration of wildlife habitats. I reviewed the recent literature (2014–2019) focused on the responses of avian, mammalian, and herpetofaunal species to oil and natural gas development, a widespread and still-expanding land use worldwide. My primary goals were to identify any generalities in species’ responses to development and summarize remaining gaps in knowledge. To do so, I evaluated the directionality of a wide variety of responses in relation to taxon, location, development type, development metric, habitat type, and spatiotemporal aspects. Recent Findings Studies (n = 70) were restricted to the USA and Canada, and taxonomically biased towards birds and mammals. Longer studies, but not those incorporating multiple spatial scales, were more likely to detect significant responses. Negative responses of all types were present in relatively low frequencies across all taxa, locations, development types, and development metrics but were context-dependent. The directionality of responses by the same species often varied across studies or development metrics. Summary The state of knowledge about wildlife responses to oil and natural gas development has developed considerably, though many biases and gaps remain. Studies outside of North America and that focus on herpetofauna are lacking. Tests of mechanistic hypotheses for effects, long-term studies, assessment of response thresholds, and experimental designs that isolate the effects of different stimuli associated with development, remain critical. Moreover, tests of the efficacy of habitat mitigation efforts have been rare. Finally, investigations of the demographic effects of development across the full annual cycle were absent for non-game species and are critical for the estimation of population-level effects.


The Auk ◽  
2001 ◽  
Vol 118 (3) ◽  
pp. 727-735 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Jones ◽  
Raleigh J. Robertson

Abstract We examined habitat selection by breeding Cerulean Warblers (Dendroica cerulea) at three spatial scales in eastern Ontario over three years (1997–1999). Territories were characterized by well-spaced large trees, with high canopies and dense foliage cover at heights between 12–18 m. Nesting habitat additionally was characterized by dense foliage cover above 18 m. The results of our nest-patch (0.04 ha circle around nest) and nest-site (0.01 ha circle) analyses indicate that male Cerulean Warblers may take active roles in nest-site selection when selecting territories. We conclude from our nest-patch and nest-site selection analyses that territories likely contain multiple nest patches and sites and that male Cerulean Warblers may defend areas with multiple nest patches or sites, which may attract females to settle with them. Whether or not Cerulean Warbler females use nest-site availability as a mate- or territory-choice cue remains unknown. We also tested the validity of a commonly made assumption that a random sampling of habitat by researchers is representative of the habitat actually available to birds and found that, in our study area, the assumption was invalid. Taken together, our results point toward the need to maintain sizeable stands of mature, deciduous forest to ensure the persistence of Cerulean Warblers in eastern Ontario. Population characteristics such as lower minimum area requirements and a resilience to habitat disturbance may make that an easier job in eastern Ontario than elsewhere in this species' breeding range.


2001 ◽  
Vol 58 (2) ◽  
pp. 386-393 ◽  
Author(s):  
John A Sweka ◽  
Kyle J Hartman

Brook trout (Salvelinus fontinalis) were held in an artificial stream to observe the influence of turbidity on mean daily consumption and specific growth rates. Treatment turbidity levels ranged from clear (<3.0 nephelometric turbidity units (NTU)) to very turbid water (> 40 NTU). Observed mean daily specific consumption rates were standardized to the mean weight of all brook trout tested. Turbidity had no significant effect on mean daily consumption, but specific growth rates decreased significantly as turbidity increased. Brook trout in turbid water became more active and switched foraging strategies from drift feeding to active searching. This switch was energetically costly and resulted in lower specific growth rates in turbid water as compared with clear water. Bioenergetics simulations were run to compare observed growth with that predicted by the model. Observed growth values fell below those predicted by the model and the difference increased as turbidity increased. Abiotic factors, such as turbidity, which bring about changes in the activity rates of fish, can have implications for the accuracy of predicted growth by bioenergetics models.


2016 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 172-180 ◽  
Author(s):  
ALICE B. KELLY ◽  
A. CLARE GUPTA

SUMMARYThis study considers the issue of security in the context of protected areas in Cameroon and Botswana. Though the literature on issues of security and well-being in relation to protected areas is extensive, there has been less discussion of how and in what ways these impacts and relationships can change over time, vary with space and differ across spatial scales. Looking at two very different historical trajectories, this study considers the heterogeneity of the security landscapes created by Waza and Chobe protected areas over time and space. This study finds that conservation measures that various subsets of the local population once considered to be ‘bad’ (e.g. violent, exclusionary protected area creation) may be construed as ‘good’ at different historical moments and geographical areas. Similarly, complacency or resignation to the presence of a park can be reversed by changing environmental conditions. Changes in the ways security (material and otherwise) has fluctuated within these two protected areas has implications for the long-term management and funding strategies of newly created and already existing protected areas today. This study suggests that parks must be adaptively managed not only for changing ecological conditions, but also for shifts in a protected area's social, political and economic context.


1999 ◽  
Vol 34 (2) ◽  
pp. 109-115 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.-L. Mouget ◽  
G. Tremblin ◽  
A. Morant-Manceau ◽  
M. Morançais ◽  
J.-M. Robert
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