Reef-fish larval dispersal patterns validate no-take marine reserve network connectivity that links human communities

Abesamis, Rene A.; Saenz‐Agudelo, Pablo; Berumen, Michael L.; Bode, M. F.; Jadloc, Claro Renato L.; Solera, Leilani A; Villanoy, Cesar L.; Bernardo, Lawrence Patrick C.; Alcala, Angel C.; Russ, Garry R.

doi:10.1007/s00338-017-1570-0

Cited by 37 publications

(40 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…While some MPA networks function effectively (Abesamis et al, 2017), nearly a third of the MPAs around the globe are not seeded by any protected larval sources, putting their long-term efficacy as productive conservation and fisheries management tools into doubt (Andrello et al, 2017). Our multidisciplinary approach provides a roadmap forward for protecting a species at a 200 km scale by demonstrating MPA ecological spillover and mapping probabilistic larval exchange pathways.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological spillover from a marine protected area replenishes an over‐exploited population across an island chain

Kough

Belak

Paris

et al. 2019

Conservat Sci and Prac

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Quantifying successful ecological spillover from marine protected areas (MPAs) is challenging yet crucial for conservation planning. The queen conch (Lobatus gigas) supports an iconic Bahamian fishery, but populations are declining. Here we provide evidence for MPAs as a solution: showing that a well-enforced MPA supplies ecological spillover through larval supply. Dive surveys throughout the Exuma Cays, including a centrally-located MPA, provided information on abundance, size, and age. Data showed higher-adult abundance within the MPA and positive associations between enforcement and conch size and age. A biophysical model estimated that MPA larvae settled in unprotected areas, and that MPA larval sources included unprotected sites with densities too low for reproduction. The MPA is currently sustaining nearby populations, yet its future is in jeopardy without upstream larval sources. Our results and consultations with stakeholders regarding management of the Bahamian conch fishery support creating a network of MPAs that exchange larvae for a sustainable future.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological spillover from a marine protected area replenishes an over‐exploited population across an island chain

Kough

Belak

Paris

et al. 2019

Conservat Sci and Prac

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“…Further, the winds identified to be favorable for recruitment in this study were highly seasonal. The seasonality of favorable recruitment conditions has been documented in multiple environments, from coral reefs in the Philippines (Abesamis and Russ, 2010;Abesamis et al, 2017) to coastal fisheries in the NW Mediterranean (Basterretxea et al, 2012).…”

Section: The Wind and Recruitmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Wind Conditions on the Great Barrier Reef Influenced the Recruitment of Snapper (Lutjanus carponotatus)

et al. 2018

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Most coral reef fishes have a pelagic larval stage before recruiting to reefs. The survival of larvae and their subsequent recruitment can drive the dynamics of reef populations. Here we show that the recruitment of the snapper Lutjanus carponotatus to One Tree Island in the Capricorn Bunker Group, in the southern Great Barrier Reef, was highly variable over 23 years. We predicted that the currents in the Capricorn Bunker Group, including their wind driven components and the Capricorn Eddy (a nearby transient oceanic eddy), would affect patterns of recruitment. A biophysical model was used to investigate this prediction. L. carponotatus were collected from One Tree Island and the dates when they were in the plankton as larvae were determined from their otoliths. The winds present during the pelagic phases of the fish were examined; they were found to have survived either longshore (SSE) winds that induced little cross shelf movement in the larval plume or cross shelf (ENE) winds that induced little longshore movement. The unidirectional transportation of the larval plume in these conditions was favorable for recruitment as it kept the plume concentrated in the Capricorn Bunker Group. These winds were more prevalent in the periods of peak L. carponotatus production that preceded high recruitment. Dispersal under average winds (6.2 m s −1 from the prevailing ESE) and strong winds (velocity 1.5 times average), with and without the Capricorn Eddy, was also modeled. Each of these combinations were less favorable for recruitment than the longshore and cross shelf winds larval L. carponotatus survived before reaching OTI. The larval plume was comparatively less concentrated in the Capricorn Bunker Group under average winds. Strong winds transported the larval plume far longshore, to the NW, away from the Capricorn Bunker Group, while the Capricorn Eddy transported larvae seaward into oceanic waters. Larval swimming could counteract these dispersive forces; however, significant dispersion had occurred before larvae developed strong swimming and orientation abilities. This study provides a physical proxy for the recruitment of snapper. Further, we have demonstrated that great insights into recruitment variability can be gained through determining the specific conditions experienced by survivors.

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“…To date, these questions have been addressed primarily with dispersal simulations (Bani et al, 2019;Castorani et al, 2017;Heydel, Cunze, Bernhardt-Römermann, & Tackenberg, 2014;James R. Watson et al, 2012), but empirical observations are necessary to understand variability in both the distance and direction of dispersal through time. Though there has been a surge in research quantifying dispersal (Abesamis et al, 2017;D'Aloia, Bogdanowicz, Majoris, Harrison, & Buston, 2013;Planes, Jones, & Thorrold, 2009;Salles et al, 2015), empirical measurements of temporal variation in dispersal are a critical step toward understanding how connectivity affects the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of metapopulations.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Only a few studies have tackled the logistically difficult task of directly measuring larval dispersal in more than one time period. These contributions have demonstrated empirically that dispersal can vary seasonally within a year (Abesamis et al, 2017;Carson, López-Duarte, Rasmussen, Wang, & Levin, 2010) and among years (Almany et al, 2017;Andrew & Ustin, 2010;Berumen et al, 2012;Hogan, Thiessen, Sale, & Heath, 2012;Ran Nathan, Safriel, Noy-Meir, & Schiller, 2000), but have been limited to two to three years of sampling and have not yet been contextualized to understand the implications for metapopulation persistence. Connectivity is often inferred from the dispersal distances between the origin and recruitment locations of individuals, often through genetic parentage analysis (Berumen et al, 2012;D'Aloia et al, 2013;Geoffrey P Jones, Milicich, Emslie, & Lunow, 1999;Swearer, Caselle, Lea, & Warner, 1999).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quantifying dispersal variability among nearshore marine populations

Catalano

Dedrick

Stuart

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Dispersal drives diverse processes from population persistence to community dynamics. However, the amount of temporal variation in dispersal and its consequences for metapopulation dynamics is largely unknown for organisms with environmentally driven dispersal (e.g., many marine larvae, arthropods, and plant seeds). Here, we quantify variation in the dispersal kernel across seven years and monsoon seasons for a common coral reef fish, Amphiprion clarkii, using genetic parentage assignments. Connectivity patterns varied strongly among years and seasons in the scale and shape but not in the direction of dispersal. This interannual variation in dispersal kernels introduced temporal covariance among dispersal routes with overall positive correlations in connections across the metapopulation that may reduce stochastic metapopulation growth rates. The extent of variation in mean dispersal distance observed here among years is comparable in magnitude to the differences across reef fish species. Considering dispersal variability will be an important avenue for further metapopulation and metacommunity research across diverse taxa.

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Reef-fish larval dispersal patterns validate no-take marine reserve network connectivity that links human communities

Abstract: Reef-fish larval dispersal patterns validate no-take marine reserve network connectivity that links human communities

Cited by 37 publications

References 54 publications

Ecological spillover from a marine protected area replenishes an over‐exploited population across an island chain

Ecological spillover from a marine protected area replenishes an over‐exploited population across an island chain

Wind Conditions on the Great Barrier Reef Influenced the Recruitment of Snapper (Lutjanus carponotatus)

Quantifying dispersal variability among nearshore marine populations

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