Larval Dispersal and Retention Among Sub-populations of Coral Reef Fishes: A Multi-Technique Approach

种群连通性--地理上分离的种群通过扩散联系起来的程度--是海洋种群动态的一个关键参数。连通率决定了新栖息地的殖民模式、种群对收获的恢复能力以及海洋保护区(MPA)的设计。然而，量化海洋生物的交换率是极其困难的，因为成体的出生来源几乎总是未知的。这种缺乏知识的主要原因是难以对以产生大量小型远洋后代为特征的物种进行标记-重新捕获研究，这些后代的初始死亡率很高。研究人员将采用一种多技术方法，结合使用耳石的代际同位素标记对鱼类胚胎进行大量标记，以及基于高变量DNA标记的亲子关系分析来测量珊瑚鱼的分散距离。在巴布亚新几内亚的金贝湾，将在3年内估计两个物种(Amphiprion Percula和A.polymnus)的种群连通性。该项目涉及一个跨学科的伙伴关系，拥有耳石地球化学、珊瑚礁鱼类生态学和种群遗传学方面的专业知识。

Population connectivity - the degree to which geographically-separated groups are linked by dispersal - is a critical parameter in the dynamics of marine populations. Connectivity rates determine colonization patterns of new habitats, the resiliency of populations to harvest, and the design of marine protected areas (MPAs). Quantifying exchange rates in marine organisms is, however, extremely difficult because natal origins of adults are almost invariably unknown. This lack of knowledge is primarily due to the difficulty of conducting mark-recapture studies in species that are characterized by the production of large numbers of small pelagic offspring that suffer high initial mortality rates. The investigators will employ a multi-technique approach that combines mass-marking of fish embryos using inter-generational isotopic labeling of otoliths and paternity analyses based on hypervariable DNA markers to measure dispersal distances of coral reef fishes. Population connectivity will be estimated in two species (Amphiprion percula and A. polymnus) over 3 years in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. The project involves an interdisciplinary partnership with expertise in otolith geochemistry, reef fish ecology, and population genetics.