Dynamics of coastal cod populations: Intra- and intercohort density dependence and stochastic processes

Nils Chr Stenseth, Ottar N. Bjørnstad, Wilhelm Falck, Jean Marc Fromentin, Jakob Gjøsæter, John S. Gray

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

80 Scopus citations

Abstract

Skagerrak populations of Atlantic cod (Gadus morhua L.) have been surveyed at several fixed stations since 1919. These coastal populations consist of local stocks with a low age of maturity and a short life span. We investigated 60 time-series of 0-group juveniles (i.e. young of the year) sampled annually from 1945 to 1994. An age-structured model was developed which incorporates asymmetrical interactions between the juvenile cohorts (0-group and 1-group; i.e. one-year-old juveniles) and stochastic reproduction. The model was expressed in delay coordinates in order to estimate model parameters directly from the time-series and thereby test the model predictions. The autocovariance structure of the time-series was consistent with the delay coordinates model superimposed upon a long-term trend. The model illustrates how both regulatory (density-dependent) and disruptive (stochastic) forces are crucial in shaping the dynamics of the coastal cod populations. The age-structured life cycle acts to resonance the stochasticity) inherent in the recruitment process.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1645-1654
Number of pages10
JournalProceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
Volume266
Issue number1429
DOIs
StatePublished - Aug 22 1999

All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes

  • General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology
  • General Immunology and Microbiology
  • General Environmental Science
  • General Agricultural and Biological Sciences

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