Rainbow trout in seasonal environments: phenotypic trade-offs across a gradient in winter duration.

ABSTRACT: Survival through periods of resource scarcity depends on the balance between metabolic demands and energy storage. The opposing effects of predation and starvation mortality are predicted to result in trade-offs between traits that optimize fitness during periods of resource plenty (e.g., during the growing season) and those that optimize fitness during periods of resource scarcity (e.g., during the winter). We conducted a common environment experiment with two genetically distinct strains of rainbow trout to investigate trade-offs due to (1) the balance of growth and predation risk related to foraging rate during the growing season and (2) the allocation of energy to body size prior to the winter. Fry (age 0) from both strains were stocked into replicate natural lakes at low and high elev

SUBMITTER: Lea EV 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4662309 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature