Interactive effects of shelter and conspecific density shape mortality, growth, and condition in juvenile reef fish

13Citations
Citations of this article
35Readers
Mendeley users who have this article in their library.

This article is free to access.

Abstract

How landscape context influences density-dependent processes is important, as environmental heterogeneity can confound estimates of density dependence in demographic parameters. Here we evaluate 19 populations in a shoaling temperate reef fish (Trachinops caudimaculatus) metapopulation within a heterogeneous seascape (Port Phillip Bay, Australia) to show empirically that shelter availability and population density interact to influence juvenile mortality, growth and condition. Although heterogeneity in shelter availability obscured the underlying patterns of density dependence in different ways, the combination of habitat and its interaction with density were two to six times more important than density alone in explaining variation in demographic parameters for juveniles. These findings contradict many small-scale studies and highlight the need for landscape-scale observations of how density dependence interacts with resource availability and competition to better understand how demographic parameters influence the dynamics of metapopulations in heterogeneous environments.

Cite

CITATION STYLE

APA

Ford, J. R., Shima, J. S., & Swearer, S. E. (2016). Interactive effects of shelter and conspecific density shape mortality, growth, and condition in juvenile reef fish. Ecology, 97(6), 1373–1380. https://doi.org/10.1002/ecy.1436

Register to see more suggestions

Mendeley helps you to discover research relevant for your work.

Already have an account?

Save time finding and organizing research with Mendeley

Sign up for free