MEPS Marine Ecology Progress Series Contact the journal Facebook Twitter RSS Mailing List Subscribe to our mailing list via Mailchimp HomeLatest VolumeAbout the JournalEditorsTheme Sections MEPS 381:249-258 (2009) - DOI: https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07960 Recruitment of lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus in relation to density dependence and zooplankton composition Mikael van Deurs1,*, Ralf van Hal2, Maciej T. Tomczak1, Sigrún H. Jónasdóttir1, Per Dolmer1 1National Institute of Aquatic Resources, Technical University of Denmark, Jægersborg Alle 1, Charlottenlund Castle, 2920 Charlottenlund, Denmark 2Institute for Marine Resources and Ecosystem Studies, Wageningen IMARES, Haringkade 1, 1976CP Ijmuiden, The Netherlands *Email: mvd@aqua.dtu.dk ABSTRACT: Recent recruitment failure of lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus, a key prey fish in the North Sea, followed by several years of low spawning stock biomass, prompted us to investigate factors influencing the recruitment of this species. We tested 2 hypotheses that relate to ecological mechanisms of recruitment regulation in lesser sandeel: (1) a positive spawning stock–recruitment relationship is decoupled in years associated with high abundances of age-1 sandeels and (2) the survival success of early larvae depends specifically on the abundance of Calanus finmarchicus and not C. helgolandicus. The findings of the present study supported both hypotheses and resulted in a multiple linear recruitment model with pronounced predictive capabilities. The model includes interactions between age-1 abundance and spawning stock biomass, plus the effect of C. finmarchicus abundance, and it explained around 65% of the inter-annual variation in recruitment in contrast to only 12% by a traditional Ricker curve. We argue that early egg production in C. finmarchicus supports the survival of larvae, and that climate-generated shifts in the Calanus species composition lead to a mismatch in timing between food availability and the early life history of lesser sandeels. KEY WORDS: Ammodytes marinus · Recruitment · Calanus finmarchicus · Match/mismatch hypothesis · Density dependency · Climate change Full text in pdf format PreviousNextCite this article as: van Deurs M, van Hal R, Tomczak MT, Jónasdóttir SH, Dolmer P (2009) Recruitment of lesser sandeel Ammodytes marinus in relation to density dependence and zooplankton composition. Mar Ecol Prog Ser 381:249-258. https://doi.org/10.3354/meps07960Export citation RSS - Facebook - Tweet - linkedIn Cited by Published in MEPS Vol. 381. Online publication date: April 17, 2009 Print ISSN: 0171-8630; Online ISSN: 1616-1599 Copyright © 2009 Inter-Research.