Title

Phenotype management: a new approach to habitat restoration

Author Info

Jason V. Watters, University of California - Davis
Sean C. Lema, University of California - DavisFollow
Gabrielle A. Nevitt, University of California - Davis

Recommended Citation

Postprint version. Published in Biological Conservation, Volume 112, Issue 3, August 1, 2003, pages 435-445.

NOTE: At the time of publication, the author Sean C. Lema was not yet affiliated with Cal Poly.

The definitive version is available at https://doi.org/10.1016/S0006-3207(02)00343-9.

Abstract

The goal of habitat restoration is to provide environmental conditions that promote the maintenance and growth of target populations. But rarely is it considered how the allocation of resources influences the diversity of phenotypes in these populations. Here we present a framework for considering how habitat restoration can shape the development and expression of phenotypes. We call this approach phenotype management as it entails restoring the resources in a habitat to manage phenotypic diversity. Phenotype management is achieved by manipulating the spatial and temporal distribution of resources to alter the degree of competition among individuals. Differences in competition, in turn, lead to changes in phenotypic and life history expression that affect population parameters including demography and effective population size (N_e). To illustrate how phenotype management can be applied, we explore how resource distributions shape variation in phenotypes in two imperiled fishes, Pacific salmon and desert pupfish. In both examples, modulating male reproductive phenotypes changes the allocation of reproductive success among population members to subsequently affect N_e. These examples further demonstrate that whether to increase or decrease phenotypic diversity depends on the primary conservation pressures faced by the species.

Disciplines

Biology

Copyright

2003 Elsevier.