Buenafe Kristine Camille V, Neubert Sandra, Scales Kylie L, Dunn Daniel C, Everett Jason D, Flower Jason, Suthers Iain M, Granados-Dieseldorff Pablo, Dabalà Alvise, Esturas Kris Jypson T, Mercer James, Richardson Anthony J
School of the Environment, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science (CBCS), The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia.
Nat Commun. 2025 Sep 1;16(1):8146. doi: 10.1038/s41467-025-63106-w.
Understanding the spawning strategies of large pelagic fish could provide insights into their underlying evolutionary drivers, but large-scale information on spawning remains limited. Here we leverage a near-global larval dataset of 15 large pelagic fish taxa to develop habitat suitability models and use these as a proxy for spawning grounds. Our analysis reveals considerable consistency in spawning in time and space, with 10 taxa spawning in spring/summer and 9 taxa spawning off Northwest Australia. Considering the vast ocean expanse available for spawning, these results suggest that the evolutionary benefits of co-locating spawning in terms of advantageous larval conditions outweigh the benefits of segregated spawning in terms of reduced competition and lower larval predation. Further, tropical species spawn over broad areas throughout the year, whereas more subtropical and temperate species spawn in more restricted areas and seasons. These insights into the spawning strategies of large pelagic fish could inform marine management, including through fisheries measures to protect spawners and through the placement of marine protected areas.
了解大型远洋鱼类的产卵策略有助于洞察其潜在的进化驱动因素，但有关产卵的大规模信息仍然有限。在此，我们利用一个包含15个大型远洋鱼类分类群的近全球幼体数据集来开发栖息地适宜性模型，并将其用作产卵场的替代指标。我们的分析揭示了产卵在时间和空间上的显著一致性，其中10个分类群在春季/夏季产卵，9个分类群在澳大利亚西北部海域产卵。考虑到可供产卵的广阔海洋区域，这些结果表明，就有利的幼体条件而言，集中产卵的进化益处超过了分散产卵在减少竞争和降低幼体捕食方面的益处。此外，热带物种全年在广阔区域产卵，而更多亚热带和温带物种则在更有限的区域和季节产卵。这些对大型远洋鱼类产卵策略的见解可为海洋管理提供参考，包括通过渔业措施保护产卵者以及通过划定海洋保护区来实现。
