Recruitment dynamics in fish: population consequences of trait-mediated tradeoffs and harvest

鱼类和许多其他生物的丰度往往随时间在种群内和种群之间发生很大变化。这种变化经常影响到它们所居住的群落和生态系统中的其他物种。当然，这对人类也很重要，特别是如果这个物种是我们的食物，或者它是一个“有害”物种。我的研究旨在了解导致这种变化的生物过程。在鱼类种群中，这种变化很大程度上源于生命的早期阶段，这一阶段特别容易受到捕食者和变幻莫测的环境的影响。因此，这些年轻生命阶段的生存变异性反映在老年生命阶段。这里提出的研究目标包括：(1)了解导致鱼类种群幼年期生存的生态和环境过程；(2)了解早期生存的变化如何反馈到成年期的变化；(3)我们如何以确保未来种群存活的方式管理渔业收获。

The abundance of fish and many other organisms tend to vary substantially over time within populations, and among populations. This variation often impacts other species within the communities and ecosystems that they inhabit. It is of course also important to humankind, particularly if the species is one that we exploit for food, or if it is a "pest" species. My research is aimed at understanding the biological processes that lead to this variability. In fish populations, much of this variability originates in the early life stages that are particularly susceptible to predators and the vagaries of the environment. Therefore, variability in survival of these young life stages is reflected in older life stages. The objectives of the research proposed here include: (1) understanding the ecological and environmental processes that lead to survival of the young stages of fish populations, (2) understanding of how variation in early survival feeds back to variability at adult life stages and (3) how we might manage fisheries harvest in ways that ensure viable populations in the future.