Population Connectivity in Marine Systems: An Overview

Cowen, Robert K.; Gawarkiewicz, Glen; Pineda, Jesús; Thorrold, Simon R.; Werner, Francisco E.

doi:10.5670/oceanog.2007.26

Cited by 455 publications

(329 citation statements)

References 18 publications

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“…Yet few studies have assessed the relative importance of processes that potentially shape dispersal kernels in the ocean 45 . Such information is critical to the development of a mechanistic understanding of larval connectivity in reef seascapes because larval dispersal and the design of marine protected-area networks probably interact to determine the persistence of reef fish populations 46 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval fish dispersal in a coral-reef seascape

et al. 2017

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Larval dispersal is a critical yet enigmatic process in the persistence and productivity of marine metapopulations. Empirical data on larval dispersal remain scarce, hindering the use of spatial management tools in efforts to sustain ocean biodiversity and fisheries. Here we document dispersal among subpopulations of clownfish (Amphiprion percula) and butterflyfish (Chaetodon vagabundus) from eight sites across a large seascape (10,000 km 2 ) in Papua New Guinea across 2 years. Dispersal of clownfish was consistent between years, with mean observed dispersal distances of 15 km and 10 km in 2009 and 2011, respectively. A Laplacian statistical distribution (the dispersal kernel) predicted a mean dispersal distance of 13-19 km, with 90% of settlement occurring within 31-43 km. Mean dispersal distances were considerably greater (43-64 km) for butterflyfish, with kernels declining only gradually from spawning locations. We demonstrate that dispersal can be measured on spatial scales sufficient to inform the design of and test the performance of marine reserve networks. R obust descriptions of larval dispersal are fundamental to studies of fish population dynamics 1,2 , fisheries management 3,4 and the design of reserve networks tasked with conserving ocean biodiversity 5,6 . Yet descriptions of larval dispersal patterns in ocean environments remain scarce. The combination of a pelagic larval phase that may last several days to many months and an ocean environment characterized by energetic diffusive and advective flows may allow passive larvae to disperse hundreds to thousands of kilometres from natal locations 7,8 . It has proved difficult, however, to verify directly how far fish larvae travel, because it is almost impossible to follow them as they disperse rapidly from spawning sites and are subject to high rates of natural mortality throughout the larval phase 9 . Our inability to describe the spatial extent of larval dispersal is problematic because our understanding of metapopulation dynamics relies on largely untested models that quantify where larvae arriving at a subpopulation originate from and where larvae spawned at each subpopulation eventually settle [10][11][12] . Moreover, to be of practical use, these data must be assembled on large enough scales for evaluating and optimizing spatial management strategies for fisheries or conservation 1,13 .Patches of reef habitat are frequently isolated from each other by deeper water that forms a barrier to adult movement, and so larval dispersal is likely to be a critical process in the persistence of many reef fish populations over demographic and evolutionary timescales 10,14 . Effective management of coral-reef seascapes is therefore particularly reliant on spatial tools to achieve conservation objectives. Although reef fish larvae clearly have the potential for long-distance movements 14 , there is increasing evidence that dispersal may be more limited than previously assumed 15,16 . The most compelling evidence of larvae returning to natal or nearby reefs has...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Larval fish dispersal in a coral-reef seascape

et al. 2017

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“…The integration of high-resolution ocean circulation models and genetic MSA appears to be a powerful tool for generating and testing hypotheses regarding dispersal and distribution in the open sea [1,9,14]. This approach can be applied to numerous questions ranging from the direction and distance of dispersal in deep-sea invertebrate larvae [5,32], to the duration of drift between suitable habitats for rafting communities associated with macroalgae [33].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Perhaps one of the greatest obstacles in providing a scientific basis for conservation and management of marine species is the lack of basic information on their distribution across life-history stages [1]. For instance, many marine taxa have remarkable fidelity to specific reproductive areas, yet disperse widely over vast expanses of the ocean to forage [2].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Finding the ‘lost years’ in green turtles: insights from ocean circulation models and genetic analysis

Putman

Naro‐Maciel

2013

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Organismal movement is an essential component of ecological processes and connectivity among ecosystems. However, estimating connectivity and identifying corridors of movement are challenging in oceanic organisms such as young turtles that disperse into the open sea and remain largely unobserved during a period known as 'the lost years'. Using predictions of transport within an ocean circulation model and data from published genetic analysis, we present to our knowledge, the first basin-scale hypothesis of distribution and connectivity among major rookeries and foraging grounds (FGs) of green turtles (Chelonia mydas) during their 'lost years'. Simulations indicate that transatlantic dispersal is likely to be common and that recurrent connectivity between the southwestern Indian Ocean and the South Atlantic is possible. The predicted distribution of pelagic juvenile turtles suggests that many 'lost years hotspots' are presently unstudied and located outside protected areas. These models, therefore, provide new information on possible dispersal pathways that link nesting beaches with FGs. These pathways may be of exceptional conservation concern owing to their importance for sea turtles during a critical developmental period.

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“…Moreover, this literature renewed interest on 15 larval processes influencing population dynamics, a longstanding topic in benthic ecology (e.g., 16 Underwood and Fairweather, 1989). Recently, larval dispersal and input into local and remote 17 habitats have been considered in the context of population connectivity (Roberts, 1997), an 18 important process in metapopulation dynamics, genetic diversity and fisheries management, 19 including management through Marine Protected Areas (Cowen et al, 2007). Whereas larval 20 dispersal is the spread of larvae from spawning grounds to a settlement location, reproductive 21 population connectivity consists of dispersal of pelagic larvae among metapopulations and 1 survival to reproduction of the benthic recruits .…”

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confidence: 99%

Causes of decoupling between larval supply and settlement and consequences for understanding recruitment and population connectivity

Pineda

Porri

Starczak

et al. 2010

Journal of Experimental Marine Biology and Ecology

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Marine broadcast spawners have two-phase life cycles, with pelagic larvae and benthic adults. 2 Larval supply and settlement link these two phases and are crucial for the persistence of marine 3 populations. Mainly due to the complexity in sampling larval supply accurately, many 4 researchers use settlement as a proxy for larval supply. Larval supply is a constraining variable 5 for settlement because, without larval supply, there is no settlement. Larval supply and 6 settlement may not be well correlated, however, and settlement may not consistently estimate 7 larval supply. 8This paper explores the argument that larval supply (i.e., larval abundance near settlement sites) 9 may not relate linearly to settlement. We review the relationship between larval supply and 10 settlement, from estimates and biases in larval supply sampling, to non-behavioral and 11 behavioral components, including small-scale hydrodynamics, competency, gregarious behavior, 12 intensification of settlement, lunar periodicity, predation and cannibalism. Physical and structural 13 processes coupled with behavior, such as small-scale hydrodynamics and intensification of 14 settlement, sometimes result in under-or overestimation of larval supply, where it is predicted 15 from a linear relationship with settlement. Although settlement is a function of larval supply, 16 spatial and temporal processes interact with larval behavior to distort the relationship between 17 larval supply and settlement, and when these distortions act consistently in time and space, they 18 cause biased estimates of larval supply from settlement data. 19Most of the examples discussed here suggest that behavior is the main source of the decoupling 20 between larval supply and settlement because larval behavior affects the vertical distribution of 21 3 larvae, the response of larvae to hydrodynamics, intensification of settlement, gregariousness, 1 predation and cannibalism. Thus, larval behavior seems to limit broad generalizations on the 2 regulation of settlement by larval supply. Knowledge of the relationship is further hindered by 3 the lack of a well founded theoretical relationship between the two variables. 4The larval supply-settlement transition may have strong general consequences for population 5 connectivity, since larval supply is a result of larval transport, and settlement constrains 6 recruitment. Thus, measuring larval supply and settlement effectively allows more accurate 7 quantification and understanding of larval transport, recruitment and population connectivity. 8 9 4

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Population Connectivity in Marine Systems: An Overview

Cited by 455 publications

References 18 publications

Larval fish dispersal in a coral-reef seascape

Larval fish dispersal in a coral-reef seascape

Finding the ‘lost years’ in green turtles: insights from ocean circulation models and genetic analysis

Causes of decoupling between larval supply and settlement and consequences for understanding recruitment and population connectivity

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