title: Altered trait variability in response to size-selective mortality.
abstract: Changes in trait variability owing to size-selective harvesting have received little attention in comparison with changes in mean trait values, perhaps because of the expectation that phenotypic variability should generally be eroded by directional selection typical for fishing and hunting. We show, however, that directional selection, in particular for large body size, leads to increased body-size variation in experimentally harvested zebrafish (Danio rerio) populations exposed to two alternative feeding environments: ad libitum and temporarily restricted food availability. Trait variation may influence population adaptivity, stability and resilience. Therefore, rather than exerting selection pressures that favour small individuals, our results stress the importance of protecting large ones, as they can harbour a great amount of variation within a population, to manage fish stocks sustainably.
authors.affiliation: Division of Genetics and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland silva.uusi-heikkila@utu.fi.
authors.forename: Silva
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-6503-455X
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uusi-Heikkilä
authors.affiliation: Environmental and Marine Biology, Åbo Akademi University, Tykistökatu 6, 20520 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Kai
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lindström
authors.affiliation: Division of Genetics and Physiology, Department of Biology, University of Turku, 20014 Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Noora
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Parre
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany Division of Integrative Fisheries Management, Department for Crop and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Philippstrasse 13, Haus 7, 10115 Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Arlinghaus
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), C/ Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain.
authors.forename: Josep
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-4385-9539
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alós
authors.affiliation: Department of Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, 00014 Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: Anna
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7807-8946
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kuparinen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D049628:Body Size; D005398:Fisheries / Q000592:standards*; D012641:Selection, Genetic; D015027:Zebrafish / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000235:genetics*
keywords: directional selection; fisheries-induced evolution; phenotypic variation; size-selective harvesting