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Direct and indirect climate forcing in a multi-species marine system
Leif Christian Stige1, Geir Ottersen, Padmini Dalpadado
1Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biology, University of Oslo, PO Box 1066 Blindern, N-0316 Oslo, Norway. l.c.stige@bio.uio.no
Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|June 12, 2010
Summary
Climate impacts on fish populations are complex, with direct effects on growth and survival, and indirect, delayed effects from species interactions. Density dependence significantly limits how climate change affects later life stages.
Area of Science:
- Marine ecology
- Climate change impacts
- Fisheries science
Background:
- Species interactions complicate the assessment of climate change effects on marine ecosystems.
- Quantifying direct and indirect climate impacts on fish early life stages is crucial for fisheries management.
Purpose of the Study:
- To differentiate direct and indirect climate effects on cod, capelin, herring, and haddock early life stages.
- To analyze how climate influences growth, survival, and population dynamics through various ecological pathways.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of unique Russian time-series data from the Norwegian Sea-Barents Sea ecosystem.
- Examination of growth and survival across successive life stages (eggs, larvae, juveniles, recruits).
- Investigation of bottom-up (zooplankton), direct (temperature), and top-down (predation/competition) climate effects.
Main Results:
- Ambient zooplankton biomass positively predicts survival for all studied species.
- Ambient temperature enhances growth and feeding conditions in warmer years.
- Delayed climate effects emerge due to increased predation and competition from subsequent cohorts, particularly under strong density dependence.
Conclusions:
- Climate affects fish early life stages through multiple mechanisms, including bottom-up, direct, and top-down pathways.
- While climate influences initial growth and survival, its impact on population growth is mediated by density-dependent processes.
- Strong density dependence can significantly dampen the propagation of climate impacts to later life stages in fish populations.
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