Over-wintering growth and losses in a small population of the threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus (L.), in mid-Wales |
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| Authors: | R J Wootton |
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| Institution: | Institute of Biological Sciences, University of Wales Aberystwyth, Aberystwyth, UK |
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| Abstract: | Abstract – Mark-recapture was used to estimate the population abundance of threespine stickleback, Gasterosteus aculeatus , in a backwater of Afon Rheidol in mid-Wales in autumn and early spring, from 1984 to 1998. For the 0+ cohort, there was no evidence of density-dependent losses (mortality and emigration) or growth in the over-wintering period. No systematic size-dependent loss was detected. There was an inverse relationship between autumn abundance and the annual rate of change in abundance of the 0+ cohort. |
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| Keywords: | density-dependence stochastic backwater size-structure |
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