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Habitat as a Template for Life Histories of Fish
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Habitat as a Template for Life Histories of Fish

A special issue of Fishes (ISSN 2410-3888). This special issue belongs to the section "Biology and Ecology".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 1 November 2025 | Viewed by 4750

Special Issue Editor

Prof. Dr. Bror Jonsson

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Sognsveien 68, 0855 Oslo, Norway
Interests: fish ecology; fish bioenergetics; fish behaviour; life history; fisheries
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The Special Issue welcomes field or laboratory studies that test the life history effects of environmental variations, as well as reviews and theoretical papers on this topic.

Life histories regard how individuals grow and survive to maximize the number of highly viable offspring in competition with others. They quantify how individual traits are expressed in response to environmental change, and cover aspects such as habitat use, foraging, migration, dispersal, growth, age and size at maturity of sexes, length of life span, fecundity and reproduction, the timing of these traits, and how they change in response to environmental variation. These traits are all closely related to the fitness of individuals. Environmental changes may include variations in physical habitats, temperature, water flow and level, water quality, nutrient richness, vegetation, and conditions such as competition, predation, or anthropogeny influences like harvest regimes or any kind of pollution. Studies may include concepts such as polymorphism, ontogenetic niche shifts, stunting, partial migration, sex ratio variation, among others. Reaction norms of life history variables, in relation to environmental parameters, will help us predict how individuals and their offspring react to future environmental impacts, whether due to abiotic or a biotic influences. This knowledge is at the core of conservation ecology and important for the management of species.

Prof. Dr. Bror Jonsson
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Fishes is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • ecological trait trade-offs
  • environmental stress
  • life history traits
  • local adaptation
  • phenotypic plasticity
  • reaction norms

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Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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13 pages, 656 KB  
Article
The Influence of Rainbow Trout on Dwarf Galaxiid Habitat Preferences
by Ami Coughlan and Adam Canning
Fishes 2025, 10(9), 456; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10090456 - 5 Sep 2025
Viewed by 1316
Abstract
Introduced salmonids are a major threat to New Zealand’s non-migratory galaxiids, yet evidence for predator-driven habitat shifts remains limited. We experimentally tested whether dwarf galaxiids (Galaxias divergens) altered habitat use in response to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) presence or [...] Read more.
Introduced salmonids are a major threat to New Zealand’s non-migratory galaxiids, yet evidence for predator-driven habitat shifts remains limited. We experimentally tested whether dwarf galaxiids (Galaxias divergens) altered habitat use in response to rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) presence or odour. Two habitat contrasts were offered: coarse versus fine substrate and open versus vegetated cover, under three predator treatments (trout-present, trout-odour-only, trout-absent). Generalised linear mixed models showed no significant effects of trout treatment on galaxiid habitat choice in either experiment. Substrate use was stable, with a consistent preference for coarse substrate regardless of predator cues, while vegetation cover had no detectable influence on behaviour. These results suggest that trout presence is unlikely to deter dwarf galaxiids from entire river reaches, but their limited behavioural response may leave them more exposed to predation where refuge is scarce. Habitat enhancement, particularly maintaining coarse substrate and reducing fine sediment, is likely to support the resilience of this short-lived, r-selected species. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Habitat as a Template for Life Histories of Fish)
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21 pages, 1379 KB  
Article
Stream Temperature, Density Dependence, Catchment Size, and Physical Habitat: Understanding Salmonid Size Variation Across Small Streams
by Kyle D. Martens and Warren D. Devine
Fishes 2025, 10(8), 368; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10080368 - 1 Aug 2025
Viewed by 567
Abstract
The average body size (fork length) of juvenile salmonids in small streams varies across landscapes and can be influenced by stream temperature, density dependence, catchment size, and physical habitat. In this study, we compared sets of 16 mixed-effects linear models representing these four [...] Read more.
The average body size (fork length) of juvenile salmonids in small streams varies across landscapes and can be influenced by stream temperature, density dependence, catchment size, and physical habitat. In this study, we compared sets of 16 mixed-effects linear models representing these four potentially influencing indicators for three species/age classes to assess the relative importance of their influences on body size. The global model containing all indicators was the most parsimonious model for juvenile coho salmon (Oncorhynchus kisutch; R2m = 0.4581, R2c = 0.5859), age-0 trout (R2m = 0.4117, R2c = 0.5968), and age-1 or older coastal cutthroat trout (O. clarkii; R2m = 0.2407, R2c = 0.5188). Contrary to expectations, salmonid density, catchment size, and physical habitat metrics contributed more to the top models for both coho salmon and age-1 or older cutthroat trout than stream temperature metrics. However, a stream temperature metric, accumulated degree days, had the only significant relationship (positive) of the indicators with body size in age-0 trout (95% CI 1.58 to 23.04). Our analysis identifies complex relationships between salmonid body size and environmental influences, such as the importance of physical habitat such as pool size and boulders. However, management or restoration actions aimed at improving or preventing anticipated declines in physical habitat such as adding instream wood or actions that may lead to increasing pool area have potential to ensure a natural range of salmonid body sizes across watersheds. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Habitat as a Template for Life Histories of Fish)
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29 pages, 3946 KB  
Article
Quantifying Age and Growth Rates of Gray Snapper (Lutjanus griseus) in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida
by Wei Chen, Jessica L. Carroll and Geoffrey S. Cook
Fishes 2025, 10(7), 336; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10070336 - 9 Jul 2025
Viewed by 602
Abstract
Gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus; Family: Lutjanidae) local habitat preferences have been assessed, but the biotic and abiotic factors influencing age and growth rates in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, have not been quantified. To address this knowledge gap, the goal of [...] Read more.
Gray snapper (Lutjanus griseus; Family: Lutjanidae) local habitat preferences have been assessed, but the biotic and abiotic factors influencing age and growth rates in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida, have not been quantified. To address this knowledge gap, the goal of this study was to estimate mean age and growth rate of gray snapper, and use generalized linear mixed models to investigate if prey and/or other environmental factors (e.g., abiotic/biotic conditions, time, location, or habitat restoration status) impact size at both the lagoon- and habitat-specific scales. Age data were extracted via otolith microstructural analyses, and incorporated with size into a lagoon-scale linear growth model. Based on microstructural analyses, mean age of gray snapper at the lagoon scale was 175 ± 66 days (range = 56–350 days). The results indicate the most common life stage of gray snapper in Mosquito Lagoon is juveniles, with living shoreline habitats having a greater proportion of relatively young juveniles (111 ± 36 days) and oyster reef habitats having a greater proportion of relatively older juveniles (198 ± 58 days). The estimated growth rate was 0.43 mm/day. Body mass and body length were correlated positively with habitat quality and lagged salinity levels. Hence future studies should strive to characterize benthic habitat characteristics, and investigate biotic and abiotic factors that potentially influence gray snapper growth. Collectively, this study increases our understanding of environmental drivers affecting juvenile gray snapper development and shows that the restoration of benthic habitats can produce conditions conducive to gray snapper growth. The age-, size-, and habitat-specific growth rates of juveniles from this study can be incorporated into stock assessments, and thereby be used to refine and develop more effective ecosystem-based management strategies for gray snapper fisheries. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Habitat as a Template for Life Histories of Fish)
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10 pages, 1499 KB  
Article
Habitat Matters: Behavior and Activity of Round Goby (Neogobius melanostomus) at Different Substrates
by Anna Dziubińska, Mariusz Sapota and Emilia Socha
Fishes 2025, 10(7), 319; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10070319 - 2 Jul 2025
Viewed by 435
Abstract
This study focuses on the behavior of the Round Goby in relation to various types of hard substrates, which may be crucial in the context of the emergence of hydrotechnical structures in their habitat. The aim of this study was to determine the [...] Read more.
This study focuses on the behavior of the Round Goby in relation to various types of hard substrates, which may be crucial in the context of the emergence of hydrotechnical structures in their habitat. The aim of this study was to determine the behavior and habitat preferences of the Round Goby in relation to specific types of hard substrates. Three types of substrates were used in the experiments: bare, colonized by benthic organisms, and rocky. Laboratory observations were conducted and divided into three variants, each with two cycles—daytime and nighttime. Each variant involved different combinations of two substrates. It was found that during the day, fish spent more time on vegetated substrates than on bare or rocky ones. At night, the opposite trend was observed. The lowest activity was recorded when the fish had a choice between bare and rocky substrates. The largest fish in the experiments changed their habitat most frequently, indicating that body size influences the activity level. However, no significant differences were found in either the time spent on specific substrates or the number of substrate changes. In addition, it was observed that the total length of Round Gobies did not affect their activity level. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Habitat as a Template for Life Histories of Fish)
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Review

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23 pages, 676 KB  
Review
Stunted Versus Normally Growing Fish: Adapted to Different Niches
by Bror Jonsson
Fishes 2025, 10(8), 376; https://doi.org/10.3390/fishes10080376 - 4 Aug 2025
Viewed by 541
Abstract
This literature-based review draws on studies of thirty-four fish species; most are from northern temperate regions. Fish have flexible and indeterminate growth, and often they do not reach their growth and size potential. They may become stunted with impaired growth and early maturity, [...] Read more.
This literature-based review draws on studies of thirty-four fish species; most are from northern temperate regions. Fish have flexible and indeterminate growth, and often they do not reach their growth and size potential. They may become stunted with impaired growth and early maturity, chiefly as a phenotypically plastic reaction. The main causes of stunted growth are negatively density-dependent food availability and keen intraspecific competition leading to environmental stress. Typically, their growth levels off early in life as energy consumptions approach energy costs of maintenance. Females typically attain maturity soon after the energy surplus from feeding starts to decrease. Males are often more variable in size at maturity owing to alternative mating strategies, and their size at maturity depends on both species-specific mating behaviours and environmental opportunities. In polyphenic/polymorphic populations, one phenotype may be stunted and the other phenotype non-stunted; stunted individuals do not perform the required ontogenetic niche shift needed to grow larger. The adult morphology of stunted fish is typically like the morphology of juveniles. Their secondary sexual characters are less pronounced, and they phenotypically retain adaptation to their early feeding niche, which is different from that of large-growing individuals. There are open questions regarding to what extent genetics and epigenetics regulate the life histories of stunted phenotypes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Habitat as a Template for Life Histories of Fish)
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