Fish length exclusively determines sexual maturation in the European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus species complex.
The probability that a fish matures at a certain age and length (the so-called probabilistic maturation reaction norm, PMRN) was analysed for a European whitefish Coregonus lavaretus species complex population living in the Austrian pre-alpine Lake Irrsee. Fish length was found to be the only relevant determinant of maturation probability, and females matured at slightly smaller sizes than males.
Research Institute for Limnology of the University of Innsbruck, Herzog Odilostrasse 101, 5310 Mondsee, Austria.
H
H
Ficker
R
R
Mazzucco
H
H
Gassner
J
J
Wanzenböck
U
U
Dieckmann
D000818:Animals; D001317:Austria; D049628:Body Size; D005260:Female; D060106:Lakes; D008297:Male; D008954:Models, Biological; D015233:Models, Statistical; D012487:Salmonidae / Q000502:physiology*; D012741:Sexual Maturation
biphasic growth; pre-alpine lake; probabilistic maturation reaction norm; recreational fishery