Population Dynamics of Sex‐Changing Fish Species in Marine Protected Areas

Easter et al. used population models to analyze the expected pattern of recovery of sex‐changing fish populations inside marine protected areas (MPAs). Many fishes begin life female and then change to male when older. In these female‐first (protogynous) species, harvest tends to selectively remove males, shifting sex ratios and impairing reproduction. Setting expectations for population recovery inside MPAs requires understanding how quickly sex ratios (and reproduction) rebound. Easter et al. show that whether sex‐changing populations recover faster or slower than non‐sex‐changing species depends on how many males a population needs for successful reproduction. This quantity can be estimated using field experiments. These photographs illustrate the article “Influence of protogynous sex change on recovery of fish populations within marine protected areas” by E. E. Easter, M. S. Adreani, S. L. Hamilton, M. S. Steele, S. Pang, and J. W. White published in Ecological Applications. https://doi.org/10.1002/eap.207