Life-history evolution in response to foraging risk, modelled for Northeast Arctic cod (Gadus morhua)
Foraging behaviour is known to be a key element in ecology and evolution. Increased foraging intensity increases energy intake, which is useful for growth and reproduction but comes at the cost of higher mortality risk due to increased exposure to predators. Here, we investigate these trade-offs thr...
| Published in: | Ecological Modelling |
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| Main Authors: | , , |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://hdl.handle.net/11250/3083594 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2023.110378 |
| Summary: | Foraging behaviour is known to be a key element in ecology and evolution. Increased foraging intensity increases energy intake, which is useful for growth and reproduction but comes at the cost of higher mortality risk due to increased exposure to predators. Here, we investigate these trade-offs through an individual-based, mechanistic modelling framework adapted to the Northeast Arctic Cod. The model incorporates a series of life-history traits, survival trade-offs, and heritability, which allow evolution to occur and optimal strategies to emerge due to individual trait combinations and their fitness consequences. By altering the relationship between foraging intensity and mortality risk, we find that increased risk causes evolution towards lower foraging effort leading to lower growth and in turn, earlier maturation and a faster pace of life. These results build on previous studies by demonstrating behavioural evolution without direct anthropogenic stressors. Natural mortality among fish is poorly understood, and these results highlight an interesting point of further research that could help future modelling approaches make more accurate assumptions about natural mortality and its components. publishedVersion |
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