Does dominance status correlate with growth in wild stream-dwelling Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)?
Author InfoAndrew J. Harwood John D. Armstrong Neil B. Metcalfe Siaˆn W. Griffiths Abstract Social hierarchies result in the unequal distribution of resources, with dominant individuals able to monopolize access to food, shelter, and reproductive opportunities. However, the short-term benefits of priority access to resources have not always translated into long-term benefits in terms of growth and survival. In the present study, we test whether dominant Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) that were able to monopolize a food source in laboratory conditions had a growth advantage over subordinates in their natural stream. There was no relationship between initial size and rank, and high-ranking individuals showed no growth advantage over subordinates over a 2-month period when returned to the wild. A fish’s growth rate in the wild was also unrelated to its sex or initial size, or the density of other salmon of the same age class within each experimental site. There was, however, spatial variab
