Data from: Altered trait variability in response to size-selective mortality

Changes in trait variability owing to size-selective harvesting have
received little attention in comparison with changes in mean trait values,
perhaps because of the expectation that phenotypic variability should
generally be eroded by directional selection typical for fishing and
hunting. We show, however, that directional selection, in particular for
large body size, leads to increased body-size variation in experimentally
harvested zebrafish (Danio rerio) populations exposed to two alternative
feeding environments: ad libitum and temporarily restricted food
availability. Trait variation may influence population adaptivity,
stability and resilience. Therefore, rather than exerting selection
pressures that favour small individuals, our results stress the importance
of protecting large ones, as they can harbour a great amount of variation
within a population, to manage fish stocks sustainably.

Size-at-age dataSize at ages 35 d - 200 dData.xlsx