title: Short winters threaten temperate fish populations.
abstract: Although climate warming is expected to benefit temperate ectotherms by lengthening the summer growing season, declines in reproductive success following short, warm winters may counter such positive effects. Here we present long-term (1973-2010) field patterns for Lake Erie yellow perch, Perca flavescens, which show that failed annual recruitment events followed short, warm winters. Subsequent laboratory experimentation and field investigations revealed how reduced reproductive success following short, warm winters underlie these observed field patterns. Following short winters, females spawn at warmer temperatures and produce smaller eggs that both hatch at lower rates and produce smaller larvae than females exposed to long winters. Our research suggests that continued climate warming can lead to unanticipated, negative effects on temperate fish populations.
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, The Ohio State University, 230 Research Center, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212, USA.
authors.forename: Troy M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Farmer
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, The Ohio State University, 230 Research Center, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212, USA.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Marschall
authors.affiliation: School of Environment and Natural Resources, The Ohio State University, 473D Kottman Hall, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, Ohio 43210, USA.
authors.forename: Konrad
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Dabrowski
authors.affiliation: Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, Aquatic Ecology Laboratory, The Ohio State University, 230 Research Center, 1314 Kinnear Road, Columbus, Ohio 43212, USA.
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Ludsin
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D057231:Climate Change; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes; D057232:Global Warming; D060106:Lakes; D007814:Larva; D009820:Ohio; D010063:Ovum; D010471:Perches; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012098:Reproduction; D012621:Seasons; D014481:United States