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Density-Dependent Growth in Salmonids: A Meta-analysis

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Advances in the Ecology of Stream-Dwelling Salmonids

Part of the book series: Fish & Fisheries Series ((FIFI,volume 44))

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Abstract

The Salmonidae comprise a large group of ecologically and economically valuable species. We surveyed the published literature relating growth to density in salmonids, to perform a meta-analysis that tested for density-dependence. We obtained data from 45 studies that included 125 data sets for eight salmonids including Arctic Char, Atlantic Salmon, Brook Char, Rainbow Trout, Steelhead Trout, Brown Trout, Lahontan Cutthroat Trout, and Chinook Salmon. The random effects meta-analysis for species pooled showed an overall significant effect of density on growth (correlation = 0.58, z = − 15.18, p < 0.0001) although there was some heterogeneity among species (τ2 = 0.141, 95% CI −0.0660 – −0.1657). Individual species effects were all significant (95% CI for parameter estimates did not overlap zero), but the effect of density on the growth of Chinook Salmon was weaker than other species. Our analysis confirms previous work that density-dependent growth is common in members of the Salmonidae; a finding that should be incorporated into both management and conservation plans.

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Acknowledgments

T. Simon aided in the analysis and reviewed this manuscript. Additional reviewers include B. Bozeman, and K. Merritt, and we thank Gerry Closs for suggesting that migratory and non-migratory populations might display different behaviors. Funding for the senior author was provided by the USDA Forest Service McIntire-Stennis program (GEO-00196-MS) and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Forestry and Natural Resources, The University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA

    Gary D. Grossman & Daniel B. Warnell

  2. Division of Biology, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS, USA

    Keith B. Gido

Authors
  1. Gary D. Grossman
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  2. Daniel B. Warnell
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  3. Keith B. Gido
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gary D. Grossman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolutionary Ecology, National Museum of Natural Sciences (CSIC), Madrid, Spain

    Javier Lobon-Cervia

  2. US Geological Survey, Utah Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Utah State University, Watershed Sciences, Logan, UT, USA

    Phaedra Budy

  3. Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA

    Robert Gresswell

Appendix 1

Appendix 1

The forest tree diagram of all papers used in this study is grouped by family. The photo can be opened and expanded for better visibility. Presented are the number of data sets in each study (sample size), the overall weight of the study and the correlation coefficient ± 95% CI.

A table has 6 columns and the headers are study or subgroup, total, weight common, weight random, correlation 95% C l, and correlation 95% C l.figure a

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Grossman, G.D., Warnell, D.B., Gido, K.B. (2024). Density-Dependent Growth in Salmonids: A Meta-analysis. In: Lobon-Cervia, J., Budy, P., Gresswell, R. (eds) Advances in the Ecology of Stream-Dwelling Salmonids. Fish & Fisheries Series, vol 44. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-44389-3_4

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