Evolutionary Ecology, Plasticity, and Adaptability of Fish Life Histories: Symposium Overview

The persistence of a species depends on the resistance and resilience of its populations to natural and anthropogenic environmental perturbations. Among the latter, fishing and climate change are primary drivers of life-history change which are then manifested by changes to per capita population growth (r). Given the multiple correlates of r (e.g., sustainable rates of harvesting, reference points, recovery rates following collapse), the causes and consequences of life-history change merit particular attention. One aim of this two-part symposium is to bridge life-history studies of classical theory, plasticity, and evolution on the one hand with fisheries science, stock assessment, and fisheries management on the other. A second aim is to evaluate the evidence for, and consequences of, increased temporal variability in marine and freshwater fish populations. The primary purpose of this overview presentation is to describe the theoretical and empirical rationales for the symposium, summarize the range of presentations and presenters encompassed by the symposium theme, and to identify potential ramifications of the research presented herein.