Impact of Larval Transport and Benthic Habitat Quality Upon Recruitment Dynamics: Poor Nursery Habitat Decouples Larval Supply From Reproductive Output of Caribbean Spiny Lobster

这项研究是基于先前的研究招聘在加勒比多刺龙虾，在集合种群和源？在巴哈马埃克苏马湾四个相距很远的地点（超过100公里）进行的汇动态研究。这些研究结果，这是基于现场采样，现场实验和2？三维物理运输的水动力学模型，产生了一个概念模型，描述了物理运输，栖息地质量和成年人丰富的集体影响多刺龙虾招聘。具体而言，在招聘和成人丰富的空间格局在四个网站是一致的，超过三年，成人丰富和招聘空间解耦，和空间格局的招聘在很大程度上解释（？中尺度变化的67%）通过幼虫和幼虫后通过回转流和地转流的运输。这些建议，栖息地质量和物理运输解耦招聘和成人丰富的空间，从而产生一个源？汇点网络这些研究结果有重大意义的招聘过程和安置海洋保护区，以提高招聘的理解。特别是，结果是新颖的，在他们的演示直接和强大的控制幼虫供应的基本水动力过程，并在其适用性的海洋保护区的设计。例如，将海洋保护区置于一个汇生境中会导致一种虚假的安全感，并不能防止一个受到严重开发的种群在当地灭绝。本次调查测试的一个关键假设来自早期的研究结果：在一些网站的栖息地质量差，减少新兵生存不成比例，从而使幼虫供应和随后的成人丰富。它包括测定和操纵实验，特别是要衡量解决和苗圃栖息地的绝对可用性，量化后的丰度和存活率？定居点和年轻的少年刺龙虾，并量化人口参数在四个网站。因此，这项研究构成了一个独特的经验测试的集体影响的物理运输，生境质量和成年丰富的补充动态的海洋物种。

This study is based on prior research of recruitment in the Caribbean spiny lobster, couched in the theoretical framework of metapopulation and source?sink dynamics, at four widely spaced sites (over 100's of kms) in Exuma Sound,Bahamas. Those findings, which were based on field sampling, field experiments and a 2?D hydrodynamic model of physical transport, produced a conceptual model describing the collective influence of physical transport, habitat quality and adult abundance upon spiny lobster recruitment. Specifically, spatial patterns in recruitment and adult abundance across the four sites were consistent over three years, adult abundance and recruitment were decoupled spatially, and the spatial patterns in recruitment were explained largely (? 67 % of mesoscale variation) by larval and postlarval transport via gyral currents and geostrophic flow. These suggested that habitat quality and physical transport decoupled recruitment and adult abundance spatially, thereby producing a source?sink network. These findings have major implications for understanding of recruitment processes and placement of marine reserves to enhance recruitment. In particular, the results are novel in their demonstration of direct and strong control of larval supply by fundamental hydrodynamic processes, and in their applicability to the design of marine reserves. For instance, placement of a marine reserve in a sink habitat would lead to a false sense of security and would not prevent local extinction of a heavily exploited population. This investigation tests a key hypothesis derived from the earlier findings: poor habitat quality in some sites reduces recruit survival disproportionately and thereby decouples larval supply and subsequent adult abundance. It includes both mensurative and manipulative experiments, specifically to measure the absolute availability of settlement and nursery habitat, to quantify abundance and survival rates of post?settlement and young juvenile spiny lobster, and to quantify population parameters at the four sites. The study therefore constitutes a unique empirical test of the collective influence of physical transport, habitat quality and adult abundance upon the recruitment dynamics of marine species.