Marine Ecology Progress Series · 1991 · 112 citations · 10 references
Larval immigration and subsequent settlement, abundance fluctuations, growth, and mortality of a 0-group flounder population were studied in a tidal flat area, the Balgzand, in the western Wadden Sea. Larvae entered the area from early April to early May. The first settled flounder were found about 1 mo after larval immigration started. Settled flounder were restricted to the siltier areas of the tidal flats. Growth did not seem to be food-limited within the density range observed over the years and depended only on prevailing water temperatures. The life history pattern of flounder was similar to that of plaice in the same area: year-class strength was generated in the open sea and after settlement a period of density-dependent mortality followed, most probably due to predation by crustaceans. The instantaneous mortality rate Z during summer seemed to be higher (0 08 d-l) than in plaice (0.03 dC1), probably due to a combination of higher water temperature and higher abundance of predators in summer than during the settlement of plaice in spring. No relationship between the year-class strengths of plaice and flounder was found
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