Can commercial fishing cause evolution? Answers from guppies (Poecilia reticulata)

2005 ◽  
Vol 62 (4) ◽  
pp. 791-801 ◽  
Author(s):  
David N Reznick ◽  
Cameron K Ghalambor
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Mortality Rates ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Commercial Fisheries ◽  
Commercial Fishing ◽  
Rate Of Evolution

Life history theory predicts that high adult mortality rates select for earlier maturity and increased reproduction. If such evolution occurs in response to the commercial exploitation of natural fish populations, then the correlated reduction in body size would reduce the yield of the fishery. Earlier maturity and reduced body size are seen in commercially exploited populations. Here, we compare the life histories of natural populations of guppies (Poecilia reticulata) from Trinidad that live in either high- or low-predation environments, which serve as surrogates for the presence or absence of commercial fishing. We can quantify mortality rate and life history variables, including age and size at maturity, in the laboratory and in nature. We have manipulated mortality rates in nature and measured the rate of evolution. High mortality selects for earlier maturity at a smaller size, as observed in commercial fisheries and as predicted by theory. Furthermore, the nature and magnitude of predator-induced mortality are comparable to those caused by commercial fishing. The rate of evolution in guppies predicts similar evolution in commercial fisheries on a time scale of decades. These attributes support arguments that humans, like predators, have acted as an agent of selection when exploiting populations of fish.

scholarly journals Pace of life, predators and parasites: predator-induced life-history evolution in Trinidadian guppies predicts decrease in parasite tolerance

2015 ◽  
Vol 11 (11) ◽  
pp. 20150806 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Stephenson ◽  
C. van Oosterhout ◽  
J. Cable
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Poecilia Reticulata ◽  
Life History Evolution ◽  
Predation Pressure ◽  
Pace Of Life ◽  
Evolutionary Response ◽  
Investment In Reproduction

A common evolutionary response to predation pressure is increased investment in reproduction, ultimately resulting in a fast life history. Theory and comparative studies suggest that short-lived organisms invest less in defence against parasites than those that are longer lived (the pace of life hypothesis). Combining these tenets of evolutionary theory leads to the specific, untested prediction that within species, populations experiencing higher predation pressure invest less in defence against parasites. The Trinidadian guppy, Poecilia reticulata , presents an excellent opportunity to test this prediction: guppy populations in lower courses of rivers experience higher predation pressure, and as a consequence have evolved faster life histories, than those in upper courses. Data from a large-scale field survey showed that fish infected with Gyrodactylus parasites were of a lower body condition (quantified using the scaled mass index) than uninfected fish, but only in lower course populations. Although the evidence we present is correlational, it suggests that upper course guppies sustain lower fitness costs of infection, i.e. are more tolerant, than lower course guppies. The data are therefore consistent with the pace of life hypothesis of parasite defence allocation, and suggest that life-history traits mediate the indirect effect of predators on the parasites of their prey.

A Primer of Life Histories

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey A. Hutchings
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Reproductive Effort ◽  
Effective Means ◽  
Academic Experience ◽  
Sustainable Exploitation ◽  
Evolution Of Life ◽  
Opportune Time

Life histories describe how genotypes schedule their reproductive effort throughout life in response to factors that affect their survival and fecundity. Life histories are solutions that selection has produced to solve the problem of how to persist in a given environment. These solutions differ tremendously within and among species. Some organisms mature within months of attaining life, others within decades; some produce few, large offspring as opposed to numerous, small offspring; some reproduce many times throughout their lives while others die after reproducing just once. The exponential pace of life-history research provides an opportune time to engage and re-engage new generations of students and researchers on the fundamentals and applications of life-history theory. Chapters 1 through 4 describe the fundamentals of life-history theory. Chapters 5 through 8 focus on the evolution of life-history traits. Chapters 9 and 10 summarize how life-history theory and prediction has been applied within the contexts of conservation and sustainable exploitation. This primer offers an effective means of rendering the topic accessible to readers from a broad range of academic experience and research expertise.

Dimensionless numbers and the assembly rules for life histories

1991 ◽  
Vol 332 (1262) ◽  
pp. 41-48 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Assembly Rules ◽  
Dimensionless Numbers ◽  
Age Of Maturity

This paper reviews recent efforts to use certain dimensionless numbers (DLNs) to classify life histories in plants and animals. These DLNs summarize the relation between growth, mortality and maturation, and several groups of animals show interesting patterns with respect to their numeric values. Finally we focus on one DLN, the product of the age of maturity and the adult instantaneous mortality, to show how evolutionary life history theory may be used to predict the value of the DLN, which differs greatly between major groups of animals.

Life history variation in plants: an exploration of the fast-slow continuum hypothesis

1996 ◽  
Vol 351 (1345) ◽  
pp. 1341-1348 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Sexual Maturity ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Continuum Hypothesis ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Life Cycles ◽  
Differential Mortality ◽  
Life History Variation ◽  
Net Reproductive Rate

Several empirical models have attempted to account for the covariation among life history traits observed in a variety of organisms. One of these models, the fast-slow continuum hypothesis, emphasizes the role played by mortality at different stages of the life cycle in shaping the large array of life history variation. Under this scheme, species can be arranged from those suffering high adult mortality levels to those undergoing relatively low adult mortality. This differential mortality is responsible for the evolution of contrasting life histories on either end of the continuum. Species undergoing high adult mortality are expected to have shorter life cycles, faster development rates and higher fecundity than those experiencing lower adult mortality. The theory has proved accurate in describing the evolution of life histories in several animal groups but has previously not been tested in plants. Here we test this theory using demographic information for 83 species of perennial plants. In accordance with the fast-slow continuum, plants undergoing high adult mortality have shorter lifespans and reach sexual maturity at an earlier age. However, demographic traits related to reproduction (the intrinsic rate of natural increase, the net reproductive rate and the average rate of decrease in the intensity of natural selection on fecundity) do not show the covariation expected with longevity, age at first reproducion and life expectancy at sexual maturity. Contrary to the situation in animals, plants with multiple meristems continuously increase their size and, consequently, their fecundity and reproductive value. This may balance the negative effect of mortality on fitness, thus having no apparent effect in the sign of the covariation between these two goups of life history traits.

scholarly journals Foundress Number, But Not Queen Size or Boldness, Predicts Colony Life-History in Wild Paper Wasps

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Colin M. Wright ◽  
David N. Fisher ◽  
Wayne V. Nerone ◽  
James L.L. Lichtenstein ◽  
Elizabeth A. Tibbetts ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Resource Allocation ◽  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Positive Association ◽  
Paper Wasps ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Behavioral Tendencies ◽  
Queen Size

AbstractColonies of social insects exhibit a spectacular variety of life histories. Here we documented the degree of variation in colony life-history traits, mostly related to productivity, in two species of wild paper wasps. We then tested for associations between colony life-history traits to look for trade-offs or positively associated syndromes, and examined whether individual differences in the behavioral tendencies of foundresses (Polistes metricus) or the number of cofoundresses (P. fuscatus) influenced colony life-history. The majority of our measures of colony life-history were positively related, indicating no obvious resource allocation trade-offs. Instead, the positive association of traits into a productivity syndrome appears to be driven by differences in queen or microhabitat quality. Syndrome structure differed only marginally between species. Queen boldness and body size were not associated with colony life-history inP. metricus. Colonies initiated by multipleP. fuscatusfoundresses were generally more productive, and this advantage was approximately proportional to the number of cofoundresses. These findings demonstrate that colony life-history traits can be associated together much like individual life-history traits, and the associations seen here convey that differences in overall productivity drive between-colony differences in life-history.

scholarly journals Slow Life History Leaves Endangered Snake Vulnerable to Illegal Poaching

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chris Jolly ◽  
Brenton von Takach ◽  
Jonathan Webb
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Population Growth ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Sensitivity Analyses ◽  
Wildlife Trade ◽  
Pet Trade ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Negative Population

Abstract Global wildlife trade is a multibillion-dollar industry and a significant driver of vertebrate extinction risk. Yet, few studies have quantified the impact of wild harvesting for the illicit pet trade on populations. Long-lived species, by virtue of their slow life history characteristics, may be unable to sustain even low levels of harvesting. Here, we assessed the impact of illegal poaching on a metapopulation of endangered broad-headed snakes (Hoplocephalus bungaroides) at gated (protected) and ungated (unprotected) populations. Because broad-headed snakes are long-lived, grow slowly and reproduce infrequently, populations are likely vulnerable to increases in adult mortality. Long-term data revealed that annual survival rates of snakes were significantly lower in the ungated population than the gated population, consistent with the hypothesis of human removal of snakes for the pet trade. Population viability analysis showed that the ungated population has a strongly negative population growth rate and is only prevented from ultimate extinction by dispersal of small numbers of individuals from the gated population. Sensitivity analyses showed that the removal of a small number of adult females was sufficient to impose negative population growth and suggests that threatened species with slow life histories are likely to be especially vulnerable to illegal poaching.

scholarly journals Life-history patterns of fishes in the Hellenic Seas

Web Ecology ◽  
2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. I. Stergiou
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Life History Theory ◽  
Feeding Habits ◽  
Information Age ◽  
Adult Mortality ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Fish Prey ◽  
Fish Stocks ◽  
Similar Information ◽  
Life History Patterns

Abstract. The available quantitative information (age, growth, maturation and mortality) for 103 fish stocks in Hellenic Seas was analysed here in the context of life-history theory and compared with similar information from other areas of the world. The results showed that the fish species and stocks inhabiting Hellenic waters are generally small in size, have low longevity, mature at an early age and size, and probably suffer high adult mortality rates. Such a pattern most probably is an adaptation to the synergetic combination of highly oligotrophic conditions and high subtropical temperatures prevailing in Hellenic waters and is consistent with life-history theory. Finally, the auximetric grid was used to compare the growth of four species, each represented by more than six stocks. The results revealed that the growth spaces occupied by the four species reflect their strikingly different feeding habits, especially with respect to the size of prey and the relative importance of fish prey to their diet.

Univoltine and Semivoltine Life Histories in Senecella calanoides (Copepoda: Calanoida) and Their Relationship to Body Size

1984 ◽  
Vol 41 (8) ◽  
pp. 1167-1175 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. C. H. Carter ◽  
M. J. Dadswell ◽  
K. Goudie
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Eastern Canada ◽  
Southern Ontario ◽  
Limited Food

Most populations of Senecella calanoides Juday in eastern Canada are univoltine. However, in Lake Mazinaw, southern Ontario, and probably in three additional lakes in western Quebec it has a 2-yr life history (semivoltine) with two fractions, different in age by 1 yr, developing together. The additional year of development in Mazinaw is spent almost entirely in the fourth and fifth copepodite instars. Slower development in semivoltine populations is tentatively attributed to colder waters resulting from extensive hypolimnia, with limited food as a possible secondary cause. Later copepodites of semivoltine populations were smaller than their univoltine counterparts, possibly because of poorer nutrition.

Modelling fishing-induced adaptations and consequences for natural mortality

2010 ◽  
Vol 67 (7) ◽  
pp. 1086-1097 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Jørgensen ◽  
Øyvind Fiksen
Keyword(s):  
Life History ◽  
Body Size ◽  
Life Histories ◽  
Life History Traits ◽  
Reproductive Behaviour ◽  
Natural Mortality ◽  
Fishing Mortality ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Investment In Reproduction

When trade-offs involving predation and mortality are perturbed by human activities, behaviour and life histories are expected to change, with consequences for natural mortality rates. We present a general life history model for fish in which three common relationships link natural mortality to life history traits and behaviour. First, survival increases with body size. Second, survival declines with growth rate due to risks involved with resource acquisition and allocation. Third, fish that invest heavily in reproduction suffer from decreased survival due to costly reproductive behaviour or morphology that makes escapes from predators less successful. The model predicts increased natural mortality rate as an adaptive response to harvesting. This extends previous models that have shown that harvesting may cause smaller body size, higher growth rates, and higher investment in reproduction. The predicted increase in natural mortality is roughly half the fishing mortality over a wide range of harvest levels and parameter combinations such that fishing two fish kills three after evolutionary adaptations have taken place.

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