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Nutrient‐dependent variation in growth and longevity of the red bandfish, Cepola macrophthalma , in the Aegean Sea
Author(s) -
Stergiou K. I.
Publication year - 1993
Publication title -
journal of fish biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.672
H-Index - 115
eISSN - 1095-8649
pISSN - 0022-1112
DOI - 10.1111/j.1095-8649.1993.tb00373.x
Subject(s) - biology , longevity , phenotypic plasticity , mediterranean climate , mediterranean sea , classification of discontinuities , ecology , zoology , genetics , mathematics , mathematical analysis
Statistically significant regressions are presented between the maximum observed age, maximum gross weight, mean total length, mean gross weight, and mean weighted back‐calculated total length at ages 3 and 4 years for red bandfish, Cepola macrophthalma , and the total nitrogen in three Aegean gulfs. In contrast, the regressions of all the above mentioned biological variables on phosphates in the three gulfs were not significant, a fact consistent with the view that nitrogen, as opposed to phosphorus, is the limiting factor in eastern Mediterranean marine ecosystems. After discussing possible genetic discontinuities between the three populations, being inferred from the paleoceanography of the study area, it is suggested that the three populations form a single gene pool expressing phenotypic plasticity shaped by the contrasting environmental conditions experienced.