SGER: Can Larval Dispersal be Directly Measured? Development of Calcein-Based Marking Techniques for Characterization of Planktotrophic Larval Dispersal Shadows

幼虫的运输和招募被广泛认为是决定世界海洋中成虫种群分布和持续存在的重要过程。然而，由于它们的微小尺寸和令人难以置信的传播潜力，大多数底栖海洋物种的幼虫从未被追踪超过几天或超过几百米的距离。在这项探索性研究项目的小额拨款中，研究人员计划测试标记和重新捕获海湾扇贝（Argopecten irradians）幼虫的可行性，将荧光染料加入幼虫壳中，幼虫壳由蜕变的幼鱼保留。这个项目的成功主要取决于是否能生产出足够数量的有标记的微小幼虫，以便在田间回收。该标签的效果将在实验室进行评估，随后将在北卡罗来纳州Bogue Sound进行标记幼虫的大规模培养和实验释放。先前的研究涉及海湾扇贝的物理运输模型、招募模式和种群遗传数据，表明幼虫被保留在这个半封闭的水体中，通常不会被运送到邻近的盆地。

Larval transport and recruitment are widely regarded as important processes determining the distribution and persistence of adult populations in the world's oceans. Due to their microscopic size and incredible potential for dispersal, however, the larvae of most benthic marine species have never been tracked for more than a few days or over distances greater than a few hundred meters. In this Small Grant for Exploratory Research project investigators plan to test the feasibility of marking and recapturing larvae of the bay scallop (Argopecten irradians) with a fluorescent dye incorporated into the larval shell, which is retained by metamorphosed juveniles. The success of this project primarily depends on whether or not marked microscopic larvae can be produced in large enough numbers to be recovered in the field. Effects of the tag will be evaluated in the lab, followed by large scale culturing of marked larvae and an experimental release of larvae in Bogue Sound, NC. Previous work involving physical transport models, patterns of recruitment, and population genetic data from bay scallops together suggest that larvae are retained within this semi enclosed water body and not typically transported to adjacent basins.