Ecological and evolutionary consequences of size-selective harvesting: how much do we know?
Size-selective harvesting, where the large individuals of a particular species are preferentially taken, is common in both marine and terrestrial habitats. Preferential removal of larger individuals of a species has been shown to have a negative effect on its demography, life history and ecology, and empirical studies are increasingly documenting such impacts. But determining whether the observed changes represent evolutionary response or phenotypic plasticity remains a challenge. In addition, the problem is not recognized in most management plans for fish and marine invertebrates that still mandate a minimum size restriction. We use examples from both aquatic and terrestrial habitats to illustrate some of the biological consequences of size-selective harvesting and discuss possible future directions of research as well as changes in management policy needed to mitigate its negative biological impacts.
Fenberg
Phillip B
PB
Section of Ecology, Behaviour and Evolution, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA 92093-0116, USA.
Roy
Kaustuv
K
D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D005075:Biological Evolution; D049628:Body Size; D003710:Demography; D017753:Ecosystem; D005398:Fisheries / Q000379:methods*; D008954:Models, Biological; D009026:Mortality; D010641:Phenotype; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012744:Sex Ratio