Collabortive Research: A Field Test of Source-Sink Dynamics in Marine Systems: Linking Recruitment, Dispersal and Post-Settlement Processes in Space and Time

源汇动力学可以确定许多海洋和河口物种的分布和丰度模式。在源栖息地有一个人口盈余（出生+移民死亡+移民），而在汇人口赤字（死亡+移民出生+移民）导致本地灭绝，没有移民的来源。此外，由于来自源地的移民对汇的补贴，相互联系的源和汇的总产量可能高于单独的源和汇。基于源-汇动态的假设隐含地包含了招募过程、物理运输机制、扩散行为、定居后人口统计和栖息地在不同时空尺度上的异质性。目前海洋生态学的许多范例都可以归入或应用于源/汇动态的概念框架内。矩阵人口模型，将空间异质性，年龄或阶段结构，和扩散提供了一个理论构建的假设，以测试源汇动态领域。调查人员将在一个海洋和河口物种的模型系统中对源/汇动态进行全面的实验调查。他们将广泛的人口数据和一个阶段结构化的，空间上明确的矩阵人口模型与扩散，以产生可检验的假设，生存，生长，繁殖和亚种群之间的扩散在假定的源和汇栖息地。围隔水槽实验将开始研究动态背后的机制，特别是定居后扩散和繁殖成功分别与食物和种群密度的关系。矩阵模型将被用来评估扩散的重要性，阶段特定的增长，生存和繁殖力的人口增长率在连接和独立的源和汇栖息地。这项研究代表了一个全面的测试的存在和后果的源-汇动力学在海洋系统。

Source sink dynamics may define the patterns in distribution and abundance of many marine and estuarine species. In source habitats there is a demographic surplus (births + emigration deaths + immigration), whereas in sinks a demographic deficit (deaths + immigration births + emigration) leads to local extinction, without immigration from sources. Moreover, total production in linked sources and sinks may be higher than in either alone, due to subsidies to sinks by emigrants from sources. Hypotheses based on source sink dynamics implicitly incorporate recruitment processes, physical transport mechanisms, dispersal behavior, post settlement demography and habitat heterogeneity across various scales of space and time. Many of the current paradigms of marine ecology can be subsumed or applied within the conceptual framework of source sink dynamics. Matrix population models that incorporate spatial heterogeneity, age or stage structure, and dispersal provide a theoretical construct for the generation of hypotheses to test source sink dynamics in the field. The investigators will perform a comprehensive experimental investigation of source sink dynamics in a model system for marine and estuarine species. They will extensive population data and a stage structured, spatially explicit matrix population model with dispersal to generate testable hypotheses concerning survival, growth, reproduction and dispersal between subpopulations in putative source and sink habitats. Mesocosm flume experiments will begin to examine the mechanisms underlying the dynamics, with particular regard to post settlement dispersal and reproductive success in relation to food and population density, respectively. Matrix models will be used to evaluate the importance of dispersal, and stage specific growth, survival and fecundity to population growth rate in linked and independent source and sink habitats. This research represents a comprehensive test of the existence and consequences of source sink dynamics in a marine system.