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The Dependence of Fish Larval Survival on Food and Predator Densities

  • Conference paper
The Role of Freshwater Outflow in Coastal Marine Ecosystems

Part of the book series: NATO ASI Series ((ASIG,volume 7))

Abstract

The results of field and laboratory investigations into the role of prey abundance and size, and of predators, as regulators of larval survival in fishes are reviewed. Laboratory evidence of the sensitivity of larval survival to prey available at the time of first feeding continues to mount. Estimates of minimum prey concentrations necessary to ensure survival have declined by approximately 1–2 orders of magnitude in recent years. Field evidence of a “critical period” at yolk sac absorbtion remains elusive. Knowledge of the impact of predation on larval survival also remains scanty. The use of negative correlations between predator and larval density as evidence of this effect has recently been effectively criticized. It is clear that predators are capable of exerting a major impact, but unclear whether this impact is realized in nature.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, McGill University, 1205 Avenue Dr, Penfield, Montréal, Canada, H3A 1B1

    William C. Leggett

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  1. William C. Leggett
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  1. Nordland College, P.O. Box 6003, 8016, Mørkved Bodø, Norway

    Stig Skreslet

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© 1986 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Leggett, W.C. (1986). The Dependence of Fish Larval Survival on Food and Predator Densities. In: Skreslet, S. (eds) The Role of Freshwater Outflow in Coastal Marine Ecosystems. NATO ASI Series, vol 7. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70886-2_8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-70886-2_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-70888-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-70886-2

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