Data from: Stochastic population dynamics and life-history variation in marine fish species

We examined whether differences in life-history characteristics can explain interspecific variation in stochastic population dynamics in nine marine fish species living in the Barents Sea system. After observation errors in population estimates were accounted for, temporal variability in natural mortality rate, annual recruitment, and population growth rate was negatively related to generation time. Mean natural mortality rate, annual recruitment, and population growth rate were lower in long-lived species than in short-lived species. Thus, important species-specific characteristics of the population dynamics were related to the species position along the slow-fast continuum of life-history variation. These relationships were further associated with interspecific differences in ecology: species at the fast end were mainly pelagic, with short generation times and high natural mortality, annual recruitment, and population growth rates, and also showed high temporal variability in those demographic traits. In contrast, species at the slow end were long-lived, deepwater species with low rates and reduced temporal variability in the same demographic traits. These interspecific relationships show that the life-history characteristics of a species can predict basic features of interspecific variation in population dynamical characteristics of marine fish, which should have implications for the choice of harvest strategy to facilitate sustainable yields.本研究针对栖息于巴伦支海生态系统的9种海洋鱼类，探究其生活史特征差异能否解释种群随机动态的种间变异。在扣除种群估算中的观测误差后，自然死亡率、年补充量与种群增长率的时间变异性均与世代时间呈负相关关系。长寿命物种的平均自然死亡率、年补充量及种群增长率均低于短寿命物种。由此可见，种群动态中关键的物种特异性特征，与物种在生活史变异快慢连续体上的所处位置密切相关。这些关联还进一步与生态学层面的种间差异相契合：处于快端的物种多为中上层鱼类，世代时间较短、自然死亡率、年补充量及种群增长率较高，且上述种群统计特征的时间变异性亦较高。与之相反，处于慢端的物种多为长寿命深水鱼类，各项种群统计特征的数值较低，且时间变异性也相对更低。上述种间关联表明，物种的生活史特征可用于预测海洋鱼类种群动态特征的种间变异基本规律，这对于遴选可持续捕捞策略以保障可持续产量具有重要指导意义。