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Effects of size selection versus density dependence on life histories: A first experimental probe.
Lyberger, Kelsey; Schoener, Thomas W; Schreiber, Sebastian J.
Affiliation
  • Lyberger K; Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
  • Schoener TW; Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
  • Schreiber SJ; Department of Evolution and Ecology and Center for Population Biology, University of California, Davis, Davis, CA, USA.
Ecol Lett ; 24(7): 1467-1473, 2021 Jul.
Article in En | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33963637
When prey experience size-based harvesting by predators, they are not only subject to selection due to larger individuals being preferentially harvested but also selection due to reductions in population density. Density-dependent selection represents one of the most basic interactions between ecology and evolution. Yet, the reduction in density associated with exploitation has not been tested as a possible driving force of observed evolutionary changes in populations harvested size-dependently. Using an artificial selection experiment with a mixture of Daphnia clones, we partition the evolutionary effects of size-based harvesting into the effects of removing large individuals and the effects of lowering the population density. We show that both size selection and density-dependent selection are significant drivers of life-history evolution. Importantly, these drivers affected different life-history traits with size-selective harvesting selecting for slower juvenile growth rates and a larger size at maturity, and low-density selecting for reduced reproductive output.
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Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Ecology / Biological Evolution Limits: Animals Language: En Journal: Ecol Lett Year: 2021 Document type: Article Affiliation country: United States Country of publication: United kingdom

Full text: 1 Collection: 01-internacional Database: MEDLINE Main subject: Ecology / Biological Evolution Limits: Animals Language: En Journal: Ecol Lett Year: 2021 Document type: Article Affiliation country: United States Country of publication: United kingdom