Adult fish ‘predict’ availability of food for their young

In seasonal environments, timing is everything: Ecosystem dynamics are controlled by how well predators can match their prey in space and time. A recently published study, led by University of Hawai’i at Mānoa oceanographer Anna Neuheimer, revealed that fish parents “predict” a beneficial environment for their offspring with populations “adjusting” spawning time so that the young can meet their prey. Survival at this early stage affects population size and shapes how many fish will be available to fisheries in later years.