Space use and its effects on reproductive success of anadromous Atlantic salmon

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Tentelier, Cédric, Larranaga, Nicolas, Lepais, Olivier, Manicki, Aurélie, Rives, Jacques, Lange, Frédéric
• Other Authors: Ecologie Comportementale et Biologie des Populations de Poissons (ECOBIOP), Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Université de Pau et des Pays de l'Adour (UPPA), Department of Aquaculture and Fish Biology, Holar University College, Institute of Life and Environmental Science, University of Iceland, This work was funded by European Commission through the Interreg program on Atlantic Aquatic Resource Conservation, by the French Office National de l’Eau et des Milieux Aquatiques, and by the Conseil Général des Pyrénées Atlantiques
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2016
• Subjects: salmon; fish; atlantic; breeding success; spawning grounds; utilisation de l'espace; salmo salar; poisson; habitat; succes reproducteur; reproduction; frayère; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; Atlantic salmon; Salmo salar
• Online Access: https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-01901387; https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2015-0518

International audience We combined habitat mapping, radio tracking of adults, redd mapping, and genetic parentage analysis on juveniles for 2 consecutive years to test eight predictions on the reproductive payoffs and individual features associated with space use tactics of anadromous Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) in a natural population. Regarding payoffs, we found that (1) males settled in better habitat, visited more redds, and tended to get more mates than males settled in poorer habitat; (2) they also sired more offspring; (3) the latter effect was stronger in the first year, when redds were more aggregated; and (4) female reproductive success increased with habitat quality in their home range, especially in the first year. For individual features, (5) individuals that settled earlier in their home range had better habitat for juvenile production, but only in the first year; (6) females were less mobile than males, especially in the second year; (7) larger males did not settle in better habitats than smaller males; and (8) smaller males were not more mobile than larger males.