Early life history affects fish size mainly by indirectly regulating the growth during each stage: a case study in a demersal fish.

ABSTRACT: The complex life histories of demersal fishes are artificially separated into multiple stages along with changes in morphology and habitat. It is worth exploring whether the phenotypes expressed earlier and later during the life cycle are related or decoupled. The life stages of first year Pacific cod (Gadus macrocephalus) were tracked over different hatch years and regions to test whether the early life history had a long-lasting effect on subsequent growth. We further explored the contribution of growth in the early and subsequent life history stages to body size at the end of each stage. In addition to the accessory growth centre and the first annual ring, the other two checks on the otolith possibly related to settlement and entering deeper waters were identified in 75 Pacific c

SUBMITTER: Wu R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10077272 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature