Frequent skipped spawning in the world's largest cod population.

ABSTRACT: Life-history theory suggests that animals may skip reproductive events after initial maturation to maximize lifetime fitness. In iteroparous teleosts, verifying past spawning history is particularly difficult; the degree of skipped spawning at the population level therefore remains unknown. We unequivocally show frequent skipped spawning in Northeast Arctic cod (NEAC) in a massive field and laboratory effort from 2006 to 2008. This was verified by postovulatory follicles in temporarily arrested ovaries close to the putative spawning period. At the population level, "skippers" were estimated to be approximately equally abundant as spawning females in 2008, constituting ∼24% of the females 60-100 cm. These females never truly started vitellogenesis and principally remained on the feeding gro

SUBMITTER: Skjæraasen JE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3384173 | biostudies-literature | 2012 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature