Abstract
Debates over whether and how populations are regulated have recently shifted away from detecting and instead towards quantifying the strength of density dependence and its variation among systems. Yet, the degree of variation in density‐dependent mortality and the factors driving this variation remain poorly understood. Here, we conducted a meta‐analysis of 38 reef fish species across 56 studies, which yielded 147 estimates of intraspecific density‐dependent mortality, primarily during early or small life stages. The magnitude of density‐dependent mortality (the increase in the per capita mortality rate due to one fish per unit area of habitat) was surprisingly inconsistent both within and among species. Several factors emerged as drivers of variation. Predators amplified the negative effects of density, and density‐dependent mortality was greater for species that typically colonize at low densities or achieve larger maximum sizes. However, even within a single species, the strength of density‐dependent mortality varied dramatically—often by several orders of magnitude—and sometimes changed sign. This heterogeneity likely reflects multiple processes acting together, including environmental context (e.g., predator density or refuge availability), traits of the focal organism (e.g., size) and methodological differences (e.g., study design) among studies. Our results underscore the need for future efforts to quantify and report ancillary variables and strive to identify how much these factors contribute to population regulation.