The interaction between behavior and physiology in determining life history patterns in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (S1) ◽  
pp. 93-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neil B Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Environmental Parameters ◽  
Growth Trajectories ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Growth Opportunity ◽  
Expected Performance ◽  
Genetically Determined

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) exhibit extreme diversity in the age of smolt migration and sexual maturation, both within and among populations. Theoretical analyses reveal the adaptive significance of such variation, but models of the underlying physiological and behavioral mechanisms are also needed. I summarize one such proximate model that suggests that smolting and maturation are only triggered if expected performance trajectories exceed threshold levels during sensitive periods. The probability of a threshold being exceeded is therefore dependent on an individual fish's ability to acquire and utilize resources efficiently, which in turn depends on a range of physiological and behavioral traits. Spatial variation in life histories is chiefly caused by differences in growth opportunity, although there is evidence of geographical variation in genetically determined expected growth trajectories. Simulations show that small changes in young fry growth rates can have pronounced effects on mean smolt age and sex ratio, by influencing the proportion of males that fail to exceed the threshold for early smolting and mature as parr (and so are less likely to survive to smolting). More sophisticated proximate models should allow powerful predictions of smolt production based on simple environmental parameters, due to their influence on growth trajectories and hence life history decisions.

Effect of time of day, time of year, and life history strategy on time budgeting in juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar

1999 ◽  
Vol 56 (12) ◽  
pp. 2397-2403 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sveinn K Valdimarsson ◽  
Neil B Metcalfe
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Life History Strategy ◽  
Time Of Day ◽  
Life History Strategies ◽  
Foraging Efficiency ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Juvenile Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Time Of Year

Traditionally, behavioural studies on juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar, have been conducted during the day in summer. It is known that Atlantic salmon become nocturnal in winter, but very little is known about their behaviour at that time. Therefore, observations in a seminatural stream were carried out during the day and night, from February to June, comparing diel and seasonal differences in behaviour between fish adopting alternative life history strategies. The results showed a general trend for more activity in spring than in winter, and the fish were found to be foraging at surprisingly low light levels. There were differences in relative feeding rate between the life history strategies; the early migrant fish foraged mostly during the day whereas the delayed migrant fish did more foraging at night. There is some evidence that the early migrant fish made fewer feeding attempts over the winter, which is surprising, since they grow faster over that period. This suggests differences in foraging efficiency, which could contribute to the separation into these two life history strategies.

The marine phase of the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) life cycle, with comparisons to Pacific salmon

1998 ◽  
Vol 55 (S1) ◽  
pp. 104-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
L P Hansen ◽  
T P Quinn
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
North Atlantic Ocean ◽  
Pacific Salmon ◽  
Mortality Factor ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
The North ◽  
Wide Range

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) are distributed over large areas in the north Atlantic Ocean. They usually move very quickly from freshwater to oceanic areas, whereas there is considerable variation among Pacific salmon in early marine movements. In some areas, Atlantic salmon of exploitable size are sufficiently abundant that commercial high seas fisheries have developed. Such areas are off west Greenland, where North American and European fish are harvested, and in the Norwegian Sea, north of the Faroe Islands, where mainly European fish are exploited. Atlantic salmon feed on a wide range of large crustaceans, pelagic fish, and squid in the marine environment, supporting the hypothesis that Atlantic salmon are opportunistic feeders. In the ocean the salmon grow relatively quickly and the sea age when they become sexually mature depends on both genetics and on growing conditions. Natural marine mortality of salmon is highest during the first few months at sea and the major mortality factor is probably predation. However, marine mortality of Atlantic salmon has increased in recent years, apparently correlated with a decline in sea surface temperatures. Similar relationships between environmental conditions and the growth and survival of Pacific salmon have been reported. Atlantic salmon life histories most closely mimic stream-type chinook salmon or steelhead trout among the Pacific species. Finally, Atlantic and Pacific salmon return to their home rivers with high precision and possible mechanisms controlling the oceanic homing migration are presented and discussed.

Importance of the Variation in Life History Parameters of Atlantic Salmon (Salmo salar)

1985 ◽  
Vol 42 (3) ◽  
pp. 615-618 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard L. Saunders ◽  
Charles B. Schom
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Population Size ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Great Variability ◽  
Mature Male ◽  
Life History Parameters ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar ◽  
Sexually Mature ◽  
Mature Male Parr

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) demonstrate great variability in their life history; individuals from a given year-class can spawn during several years and can, therefore, breed with salmon from other year-classes. Atlantic salmon can mature after 1–4 sea-winters and some males mature as parr, during the second through fifth years, before going to sea. Salmon may survive to spawn more than once; some spawn several times. This variability in life history may be a safeguard against loss of small stocks through several successive years of reproductive failure, since nonspawning individuals in the river or at sea could spawn in subsequent years. Spawning populations are frequently quite small. The effective spawning population size may be potentially much larger, however, since members of several year-classes, including sexually mature male parr and anadromous adults of various ages, contribute to spawning. The level of inbreeding may be relatively low, since a number of year-classes, each with different sets of parents, are represented during spawning.

Genetically distinct sympatric populations of resident and anadromous Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (6) ◽  
pp. 1453-1461 ◽  
Author(s):  
E. Verspoor ◽  
L. J. Cole
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
River System ◽  
Population Variation ◽  
The Other ◽  
Gene Pools ◽  
Sympatric Populations ◽  
Polymorphic Loci ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar

Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) from Little Gull Lake on the Gander River system of central Newfoundland were found to be electrophoretically polymorphic at 5 of 20 protein loci screened. Four of the polymorphic loci were structural and one was regulatory. Major heterozygote deficiencies relative to Castle–Hardy–Weinberg expectations were detected at the two most polymorphic loci, Aat-3 and Mdh-3,4, and significant nonrandom associations between genotypes at these loci and the other polymorphic loci, Sdh-1, Me-2, and Pgm1-t, were also found. The heterozygote deficiencies and the nonrandom genotype associations were attributable to the admixture of genetically distinct gene pools of resident and anadromous salmon in the lake. This is the first documented case of coexistence of reproductively separated populations of Atlantic salmon of the two life history types, and shows that the sympatric occurrence of the two forms can represent between-population variation.

Interactions of Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and trout (Salvelinus fontinalis and Oncorhynchus mykiss) in Vermont tributaries of the Connecticut River

2003 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-285 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew J Raffenberg ◽  
Donna L Parrish
Keyword(s):  
Atlantic Salmon ◽  
Oncorhynchus Mykiss ◽  
Salmo Salar ◽  
Brook Trout ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Salvelinus Fontinalis ◽  
Multiple Scales ◽  
Connecticut River ◽  
Growth And Survival ◽  
Atlantic Salmon Salmo Salar

Competitive interactions among stream salmonids in resource-limited environments have been linked to reduced success for many species. Few studies have focused on interactions at scales larger than individual fish or stream reach. We chose to focus our study on these larger scales to provide information for managing species that have complex life histories transcending multiple scales. Our objective was to explore age-0 Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) growth and survival in relation to trout abundance (introduced rainbow (Oncorhynchus mykiss) and native brook (Salvelinus fontinalis) trout) and prey resources at 24 stream reaches across two Vermont watersheds that flow into the Connecticut River. Simple linear and multilinear regressions were conducted on response and predictor variables related to fish and invertebrate prey. Age-0 Atlantic salmon survival was greatest at the site with highest trout abundance; however, no linear relationships to trout abundance were detected possibly because Atlantic salmon growth and survival were highly variable across sites. In contrast, a positive significant multivariate relationship was identified among age-0 Atlantic salmon survival, the abundance of age-1+ brook trout (i.e., 100–130 mm), and benthic prey abundance. These results suggest that stocking streams based on trout abundance may not increase Atlantic salmon growth and survival during the first summer of life.

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