On Dome-Shaped Norms of Reaction for Size-to-Age at Maturity in Fishes

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Abstract
The optimal size-to-age at maturity depends on growth and mortality rates, which vary with environment. Therefore, organisms in spatially or temporally changing environments should develop adaptive phenotypic plasticity for this trait. Experimental work by Alm (1959) on several fish species shows a dome-shaped norm of reaction for size-to-age at maturity: size at maturity is smaller in both fast-growing and slow-growing fishes, than it is in fish with a medium growth rate. Using computer stimulations, we show that such a dome-shaped norm of reaction is optimal when assuming a finite life span and a negative relationship between production and survival rates. This latter assumption is supported by empirical data, as well as by physiological and demographic arguments.

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