Trends and management implications of human-influenced life-history changes in marine ectotherms

Abstract

Evidence is accumulating that many marine ectotherms are undergoing rapid changes in their life-history characteristics. These changes have been variously attributed to fisheries-induced evolution, inhibited adult growth rate due to oxygen limitation at higher temperatures, and plastic responses to density dependence or changes in ocean productivity. Here, we review the diverse underlying mechanisms by which plastic and evolutionary responses to climate change and fisheries are likely to produce similar life-history trends in harvested marine ectotherms, leading to faster life-histories with earlier maturation and smaller adult size-at-age. While mechanistically understanding these growth an..