Recruitment variability in North Atlantic cod and match-mismatch dynamics.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Fisheries exploitation, habitat destruction, and climate are important drivers of variability in recruitment success. Understanding variability in recruitment can reveal mechanisms behind widespread decline in the abundance of key species in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. For fish populations, the match-mismatch theory hypothesizes that successful recruitment is a function of the timing and duration of larval fish abundance and prey availability. However, the underlying mechanisms of match-mismatch dynamics and the factors driving spatial differences between high and low recruitment remain poorly understood.

Methodology/principal findings

We used empirical observations of larval fish abundance, a mechanistic individual-based model, and a reanalysis of ocean te

SUBMITTER: Kristiansen T 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3049760 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature