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Nutrients from salmon parents alter selection pressures on their offspring
Author(s) -
Auer Sonya K.,
Anderson Graeme J.,
McKelvey Simon,
Bassar Ronald D.,
McLennan Darryl,
Armstrong John D.,
Nislow Keith H.,
Downie Helen K.,
McKelvey Lynn,
Morgan Thomas A.J.,
Salin Karine,
Orrell Danielle L.,
Gauthey Alice,
Reid Thomas C.,
Metcalfe Neil B.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
ecology letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.852
H-Index - 265
eISSN - 1461-0248
pISSN - 1461-023X
DOI - 10.1111/ele.12894
Subject(s) - biology , nutrient , salmo , streams , offspring , selection (genetic algorithm) , juvenile , ecology , life history theory , trade off , natural selection , zoology , fish <actinopterygii> , life history , fishery , genetics , pregnancy , computer network , artificial intelligence , computer science
Organisms can modify their surrounding environment, but whether these changes are large enough to feed back and alter their evolutionary trajectories is not well understood, particularly in wild populations. Here we show that nutrient pulses from decomposing Atlantic salmon ( Salmo salar ) parents alter selection pressures on their offspring with important consequences for their phenotypic and genetic diversity. We found a strong survival advantage to larger eggs and faster juvenile metabolic rates in streams lacking carcasses but not in streams containing this parental nutrient input. Differences in selection intensities led to significant phenotypic divergence in these two traits among stream types. Stronger selection in streams with low parental nutrient input also decreased the number of surviving families compared to streams with high parental nutrient levels. Observed effects of parent‐derived nutrients on selection pressures provide experimental evidence for key components of eco‐evolutionary feedbacks in wild populations.