1. Understanding the factors that regulate temporal changes in population size is a core aspiration in ecology given the importance of population stability on the maintenance of species interactions, effects on local communities, the stability of ecosystems, and for biodiversity conservation. Understanding temporal trends in population size can support management practices as this may indicate demographic resilience for exploited species. Theoretical studies have long suggested that life‐history traits regulate population stability, but empirical support remains limited, especially for species‐rich environments. Additionally, harvesting has been suggested as an important factor increasing the fluctuation in the number of individuals in populations.
2. In this study, we analysed population stability of 70 Amazonian floodplain fish species in relation to life‐history traits and the degree of fishing pressure. Our data covered a long time scale and broad geographical range of the Amazon floodplain. For that, we compiled datasets of two monitoring programmes, one comprising data from a single lake for 15 years and a second dataset with information from three floodplain lakes sampled over 5 years. The resulting geographical range spanned one of the most fished areas in the upper Amazon River, between the municipalities of Coari and Manaus, in the Brazilian Amazon. Temporal stability was measured as the coefficient of variation in species abundance. Population life‐history traits and the degree of fishing pressure were estimated at the species level.
3. Population temporal stability had significant relationships with three life‐history traits: maximum body size, fecundity, somatic investment before sexual maturation (SIBSM), and the interaction of fecundity and SIBSM. Species with small body size, high fecundity, and low SIBSM displayed low stability; the opposite happened to species that invest highly in somatic tissue before the first reproduction and have large body size. Fishing pressure had no significant contribution to explaining population stability. However, the sampling technique employed and the set of species considered in the study do not represent main targets of fisheries.
4. Here we stress the importance of life‐history traits in controlling an essential part of the population size variation in a complex and species‐rich fish assemblage in the Amazon floodplains. Our results highlight the importance of the trade‐off between growth and reproduction in controlling population stability and complement explanations on how life‐history functional traits underlie differences in population dynamics over time. Our results contribute to theoretical development and can be used to support fisheries and biological conservation management strategies. Specifically, our results point to the possibility of inferring demographic resilience based on life‐history information in the absence of high‐quality population data.

中文翻译：

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生长－繁殖的权衡与繁殖力调节亚马逊河漫滩鱼类的种群稳定性

1. 鉴于种群稳定性对维持物种相互作用，对当地社区的影响，生态系统的稳定性和生物多样性保护的重要性，因此了解调节种群数量随时间变化的因素是生态学的核心愿望。了解种群数量的时间趋势可以支持管理实践，因为这可能表明开发物种的人口适应能力。长期以来的理论研究表明，生命历史特征调节种群的稳定性，但是经验支持仍然有限，尤其是对于物种丰富的环境。另外，已经提出收获是增加种群中个体数量波动的重要因素。
2. 在这项研究中，我们分析了70种亚马孙洪泛区鱼类的种群稳定性，这些种群稳定性与生活史特征和捕鱼压力程度有关。我们的数据涵盖了亚马逊洪泛区的长时间范围和广泛的地理范围。为此，我们汇编了两个监测程序的数据集，一个包含来自单个湖泊15年的数据，另一个包含来自三个洪泛区湖泊5年内采样的信息的数据集。最终的地理范围跨越了巴西亚马逊河Coari和Manaus市之间的亚马逊河上游捕鱼最多的地区之一。时间稳定性被测量为物种丰度的变异系数。在物种水平上估计了种群的生活史特征和捕鱼压力的程度。
3. 人口的时间稳定性与三个生命历史特征有着显着的关系：最大体型，繁殖力，性成熟前的体细胞投资（SIBSM）以及繁殖力与SIBSM的相互作用。体型小，繁殖力高，SIBSM低的物种显示出较低的稳定性。与之相反的是，在首次繁殖之前对体细胞组织进行大量投资且具有较大体型的物种。捕鱼压力对解释人口稳定没有重大贡献。但是，研究中采用的采样技术和所考虑的物种种类并不代表渔业的主要目标。
4. 在这里，我们强调生命历史特征对于控制亚马逊河漫滩中复杂且物种丰富的鱼群中种群大小变化的重要部分的重要性。我们的结果强调了增长与繁殖之间的权衡在控制人口稳定方面的重要性，并补充了关于生命历史功能特征如何构成人口动态随时间变化的解释。我们的结果有助于理论发展，可用于支持渔业和生物保护管理策略。具体而言，我们的结果指出了在缺乏高质量人口数据的情况下，根据生活史信息推断人口弹性的可能性。