Surface circulation in a Caribbean island wake

Harlan, Jack; Swearer, Stephen E.; Leben, R. R.; Fox, Chad A.

doi:10.1016/s0278-4343(01)00073-5

Cited by 28 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 39 publications

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“…An influx of fish with a depleted Pb signature may be indicative of just such a dispersal event (e.g., August cohort, SI Table 1). Indeed, mesoscale eddy activity occurs predictably in late August and September, and large-scale eddy-induced current reversals around St. Croix have been associated with island-scale patterns of replenishment consistent with longrange dispersal (18,41,43). Despite the potential for oceanographic events to disrupt typical coastal seawater composition, in 2001, we detected consistent differences in ELH traits that were associated with water mass characteristics experienced during larval life.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…As they pass by St. Croix, mesoscale eddies propagating from the Amazon and Orinoco Rivers may temporarily mask coastal trace element enrichment signatures (18,41), and thus coastal waters may have distinct elemental composition only during typical flow conditions. These dynamic circulation features may also entrain and transport developing larvae of coral reef fishes from distant sources (42) while simultaneously influencing larval traits (20).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Postsettlement survival linked to larval life in a marine fish

Hamilton

Regetz

Warner

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

130

167

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There is a growing realization that the scale and degree of population connectivity are crucial to the dynamics and persistence of spatially structured populations. For marine organisms with complex life cycles, experiences during larval life may influence phenotypic traits, performance, and the probability of postsettlement survival. For a Caribbean reef fish (Thalassoma bifasciatum) on an oceanic island, we used otolith (ear stone) elemental profiles of lead (Pb) to assign recent settlers to a group that developed in waters elevated in Pb concentrations throughout larval life (i.e., nearshore signature) and a group that developed in waters depleted in Pb (i.e., offshore signature), potentially dispersing from upstream sources across oceanic waters. Larval history influenced early life history traits: offshore developers initially grew slowly but compensated with fast growth upon entering nearshore waters and metamorphosed in better condition with higher energy reserves. As shown in previous studies, local production contributed heavily to settlement: at least 45% of settlers developed nearshore. However, only 23% of survivors after the first month displayed a nearshore otolith profile. Therefore, settlers with different larval histories suffered differential mortality. Importantly, selective mortality was mediated by larval history, in that the postsettlement intensity of selection was much greater for fish that developed nearshore, potentially because they had developed in a less selectively intense larval environment. Given the potential for asymmetrical postsettlement source-based survival, successful spatial management of marine populations may require knowledge of ''realized connectivity'' on ecological scales, which takes into account the postsettlement fitness of individuals from different sources.larval-juvenile transition ͉ otolith chemistry ͉ realized connectivity ͉ selective mortality ͉ Thalassoma bifasciatum P opulations of many coastal marine species are connected primarily by dispersal during a relatively short pelagic larval phase (i.e., days to months), because most species have limited adult movement. For much of the last 30 years, researchers assumed that marine populations were demographically open. Models of open populations (1) suggested that larval supply was decoupled from local demographic rates (2). This view was reinforced by the assumption that larvae behaved as passive particles dispersed widely by ocean currents (e.g., ref.3). However, recent studies have elucidated the importance (4, 5) and apparent ubiquity of self-recruitment (i.e., retention of locally produced young) for population replenishment in many tropical species (6-11) and the potential for limited dispersal along open coasts in temperate systems (12-15). Both physical oceanographic processes (16) and larval behavior (17) may prevent advection and promote the retention of developing larvae in nearshore waters.Despite the recent evidence for local replenishment in island systems, the young that recruit to an island are ...

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Postsettlement survival linked to larval life in a marine fish

Hamilton

Regetz

Warner

2008

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

130

167

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“…to the west). Consistently high levels of recruitment to the northwest side of the island are likely a result of an area of current convergence, slow currents, and potential eddy formation that characterizes the leeward shore (Harlan et al 2002). These features retain larvae (Boehlert et al 1992, Swearer et al 1999 and enhance larval reef fish abundance in nearshore waters (Cowen & Castro 1994).…”

Section: Mechanisms Contributing To Consistent Recruitment On St Croixmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast, when the intensity of recruitment increased on the windward shore during September and October, recruits to all sites tended to have slow larval growth and low trace metal concentrations in their otoliths, suggesting dispersal from upstream sources across relatively unproductive oceanic water. Harlan et al (2002) used highfrequency radar to detect a persistent nearshore convergence region of weak currents along the leeward shore during the period of peak summer recruitment, which likely retained larvae close to shore within the wake region. Anomalous strong current reversals (eastward flow) occurred during the late summer and autumn (Harlan et al 2002), significantly depressing reef fish recruitment at leeward sites and enhancing recruitment along the windward shore (Swearer 2001).…”

Section: Mechanisms Contributing To Consistent Recruitment On St Croixmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Harlan et al (2002) used highfrequency radar to detect a persistent nearshore convergence region of weak currents along the leeward shore during the period of peak summer recruitment, which likely retained larvae close to shore within the wake region. Anomalous strong current reversals (eastward flow) occurred during the late summer and autumn (Harlan et al 2002), significantly depressing reef fish recruitment at leeward sites and enhancing recruitment along the windward shore (Swearer 2001). These current reversals were associated with anticyclonic mesoscale eddy activity located south of St. Croix and resulted in the disappearance of the nearshore convergence region (Harlan et al 2002).…”

Section: Mechanisms Contributing To Consistent Recruitment On St Croixmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Consistent long-term spatial gradients in replenishment for an island population of a coral reef fish

Hamilton

White²,

Caselle³

et al. 2006

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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The population replenishment of marine organisms is routinely characterized as highly variable and unpredictable in space and time. Using island-wide recruitment surveys of a common coral reef fish, the bluehead wrasse Thalassoma bifasciatum, in 6 summers spanning a 12 yr period (1991 to 2003), we examined whether spatial patterns of recruitment are consistent or variable through time on St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. Despite annual fluctuations in the magnitude of replenishment, recruitment intensity follows a distinct and consistent spatial gradient that differs in direction between the north (leeward) and south (windward) shores; recruitment declines from west to east on the north shore and east to west on the south shore. The rank ordering of sites on each shore was concordant when recruitment was either pooled across years (monthly variation) or pooled across months (annual variation). When the 2 highest recruitment sites on each shore were considered alone, consistent seasonal effects were also apparent, with higher recruitment from June through August on the north shore, and higher recruitment in September on the south shore. Thus, while the magnitude of recruitment is indeed variable in space and time, its qualitative pattern is predictable in this area. Results of prior investigations of larval dispersal and coastal oceanography around St. Croix shed light on the origin of the consistent recruitment patterns documented in this study. The potential for consistent spatial and temporal patterns in recruitment is an important consideration in the spatial management of marine resources.

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Otolith Chemistry

Thorrold

Swearer

2009

Reviews: Methods and Technologies in Fish Biology and Fisheries

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Surface circulation in a Caribbean island wake

Cited by 28 publications

References 39 publications

Postsettlement survival linked to larval life in a marine fish

Postsettlement survival linked to larval life in a marine fish

Consistent long-term spatial gradients in replenishment for an island population of a coral reef fish

Otolith Chemistry

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