Climate, fishing, and fluctuations of sardine and anchovy in the California Current.

ABSTRACT: Since the days of Elton, population cycles have challenged ecologists and resource managers. Although the underlying mechanisms remain debated, theory holds that both density-dependent and density-independent processes shape the dynamics. One striking example is the large-scale fluctuations of sardine and anchovy observed across the major upwelling areas of the world. Despite a long history of research, the causes of these fluctuations remain unresolved and heavily debated, with significant implications for fisheries management. We here model the underlying causes of these fluctuations, using the California Current Ecosystem as a case study, and show that the dynamics, accurately reproduced since A.D. 1661 onward, are explained by interacting density-dependent processes (i.e., through spec

SUBMITTER: Lindegren M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3746886 | biostudies-literature | 2013 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature