Abstract
Correlated genetic responses have been hypothesized as important components of fishery-induced evolution, although predictive data from wild populations have been difficult to obtain. Here, we demonstrate substantial genetic correlations between a trait often subjected to fishery selection (adult body length) and traits that affect survival of larvae (length and swimming performance) in a wild population of a marine fish (bicolor damselfish, Stegastes partitus). Through both genetic covariance and size-dependent maternal effects, selection on adult size may cause a considerable, correlated response in larval traits. To quantify how variation in larval traits may affect survival, we introduce a flexible method that uses information from selection measurements to account for frequency dependence and estimate the relationship between phenotype and relative survival across a broad range of phenotypic values. Using this method, we synthesize studies of selective mortality on larval size for eight species of fish and show that variation in larval size may result in considerable variation in larval survival. We predict that observed rates of fishery selection on adult marine fishes may substantially reduce larval size and survival. The evolution of smaller larvae in response to fishery selection may therefore have substantial consequences for the viability of fished populations.
Highlights
For many wild populations, phenotypic changes in trait values can have contemporary effects that substantially influence population dynamics (Hairston et al 2005; Coulson et al 2006)
We have demonstrated that larval SAH and swimming performance may have substantial genetic correlations with adult length (Lmax) in a wild population of marine fish
Larval size and swimming performance covaried with the Lmax of their fathers, and results from the cross-fostering experiment suggest that the parent–offspring resemblance was attributable to genetic, rather than environmental, covariance
Summary
Phenotypic changes in trait values can have contemporary effects that substantially influence population dynamics (Hairston et al 2005; Coulson et al 2006). Fishing mortality rates often exceed natural mortality rates, and fishing practices can selectively remove larger individuals from the population, potentially resulting in rapid evolution of fished populations (reviewed by Stokes et al 1993; Browman et al 2000). Evolutionary changes such as reduced growth rate of adults and smaller size at maturity have been demonstrated conclusively in laboratory settings (Conover and Munch 2002). Such information may be difficult to obtain, there is a pressing need for estimates of additive genetic variances for traits under direct selection, as well as genetic correlations between related traits (Law 2000, 2007)
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