The evolutionary legacy of size-selective harvesting extends from genes to populations.

ABSTRACT: Size-selective harvesting is assumed to alter life histories of exploited fish populations, thereby negatively affecting population productivity, recovery, and yield. However, demonstrating that fisheries-induced phenotypic changes in the wild are at least partly genetically determined has proved notoriously difficult. Moreover, the population-level consequences of fisheries-induced evolution are still being controversially discussed. Using an experimental approach, we found that five generations of size-selective harvesting altered the life histories and behavior, but not the metabolic rate, of wild-origin zebrafish (Danio rerio). Fish adapted to high positively size selective fishing pressure invested more in reproduction, reached a smaller adult body size, and were less explorative and

SUBMITTER: Uusi-Heikkila S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4479515 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature