Life History Diversity and the Persistence of Atlantic Salmon Populations

Unlike anadromous Pacific salmon, Atlantic salmon populations frequently persist at low spawner numbers. What is it about the life history diversity that may support persistence and potentially resilience in such populations? I explore roles of the use of fluvial and lacustrine habitats, anadromy and residency, iteroparity and age at maturity, including precocial maturation in the dynamics of Atlantic salmon populations. Using a meta-analytic approach, patterns of recruitment variability in relation to life history are explored across Atlantic salmon populations, and comparisons drawn in relation to life history diversity seen in other salmonid species.