Ecological and evolutionary consequences of alternative sex-change pathways in fish

Benvenuto, C ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8378-8168, Coscia, I ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5768-4675, Chopelet, J, Sala-Bozano, M and Mariani, S ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5329-0553 2017, 'Ecological and evolutionary consequences of alternative sex-change pathways in fish' , Scientific Reports, 7 (9804) .

Preview	PDF - Published Version Available under License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0. Download (3MB) | Preview
	PDF - Accepted Version Restricted to Repository staff only Download (832kB) | Request a copy

Abstract

Sequentially hermaphroditic fish change sex from male to female (protandry) or vice versa (protogyny), increasing their fitness by becoming highly fecund females or large dominant males, respectively. These life-history strategies present different social organizations and reproductive modes, from near-random mating in protandry, to aggregate- and harem-spawning in protogyny. Using a combination of theoretical and molecular approaches, we compared variance in reproductive success (Vk*) and effective population sizes (Ne) in several species of sex-changing fish. We observed that, regardless of the direction of sex change, individuals conform to the same overall strategy, producing more offspring and exhibiting greater Vk* in the second sex. However, protogynous species show greater Vk*, especially pronounced in haremic species, resulting in an overall reduction of Ne compared to protandrous species. Collectively and independently, our results demonstrate that the direction of sex change is a pivotal variable in predicting demographic changes and resilience in sex-changing fish, many of which sustain highly valued and vulnerable fisheries worldwide.

Item Type:	Article
Schools:	Schools > School of Environment and Life Sciences > Ecosystems and Environment Research Centre
Journal or Publication Title:	Scientific Reports
Publisher:	Nature Publishing Group
ISSN:	2045-2322
Related URLs:	Publication
Depositing User:	USIR Admin
Date Deposited:	25 Jul 2017 14:33
Last Modified:	15 Feb 2022 22:17
URI:	http://usir.salford.ac.uk/id/eprint/43295

Actions (login required)

Edit record (repository staff only)