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

珊瑚礁鱼类亚群中幼虫的扩散和保留：多种技术方法

• 批准号: 0928442
• 负责人: Simon Thorrold
• 金额: $ 79万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-01-01 至 2013-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0928442&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Larval; Dispersal; Retention; Among; Sub

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).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 networks of No Take Marine Reserves (NTMRs). Quantifying exchange rates in marine organisms is 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 with large numbers of small pelagic offspring that suffer high initial mortality rates. This project will continue a multi-technique approach combining mass-marking of fish embryos using TRAnsgenerational Isotope Labeling (TRAIL) of otoliths and paternity analyses based on hypervariable microsatellite DNA markers to measure dispersal distances of coral reef fishes. Population connectivity will be estimated for two species (Amphiprion percula and Chaetodon vagabundus) in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. Coral reef organisms are usually distributed across a mosaic of reefs that are sometimes separated by the ocean. It has been presumed that at small scales, reefs must be open populations, with significant exchange of larvae among neighboring reefs. At larger scales, populations must effectively be closed, with late-stage larvae returning to the same population as their parents. The scale over which this transition takes place is unknown. Recent evidence suggests that ecologically significant self-recruitment may occur at scales of individual reefs or islands. If accurate, these findings have important implications for management strategies for marine species, including the design of networks of NTMRs, because knowledge of dispersal distances determines the scale over which populations can be completely protected. It also determines the appropriate spacing of reserves to allow protected populations to replenish adjacent fished areas. This project will quantify population connectivity of coral reef fishes in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea and broaden the spatial scale from examining the fate of larvae spawned at a single location (Kimbe Island) to examining connectivity among 5 designated NTMRs.The project will strengthen international collaborations among researchers from the US, Australia and France with expertise in otolith geochemistry, reef fish ecology, and population genetics. This collaboration includes the training of a graduate student. Research from the project will also be incorporated into courses taught by the PI. The research is highly relevant to ongoing conservation efforts in Kimbe Bay (led by The Nature Conservancy) and a new and ambitious six-nation effort to protect and manage coral reefs within the Coral Triangle. A major focus of the Coral Triangle Initiative will be ecosystem-based management and the design and implementation of a network of NTMRs. Estimates of population connectivity will, therefore, be vital to establish a strong scientific basis for management efforts.

该奖项是根据2009年的《美国回收与再投资法》（公法111-5）进行的。人群连通性，地理上分离的群体通过分散链接的程度是海洋人口动态的关键参数。连通性率决定了新栖息地的定殖模式，人群对收获的弹性以及无需海洋储量的网络设计（NTMR）。量化海洋生物的汇率非常困难，因为成年人的出生起源几乎总是未知。缺乏知识的主要原因是对大量小浮游后代的物种进行标记 - 收选研究的困难，而初始死亡率很高。该项目将继续采用多技术方法，使用基于高变量的微卫星DNA标记物的耳石和亲子关系分析的跨代同位素标记（TRAIL）结合鱼类胚胎的大规模标记，以测量珊瑚礁鱼类的分散距离。将估计在巴布亚新几内亚金贝湾的两个物种（Amphiprion Percula和Chaetodon vagabundus）的种群连通性。珊瑚礁生物通常分布在有时会被海洋分离的礁石上。据推测，在小规模上，礁石必须是开放的人群，在邻近的礁石之间进行大量交换。在较大的尺度上，必须有效关闭种群，后期幼虫与父母返回同一人群。这种过渡发生的规模尚不清楚。最近的证据表明，在单个珊瑚礁或岛屿的尺度上，可能发生生态意义上的自我娱乐。如果准确，这些发现对海洋物种的管理策略（包括NTMR网络的设计）具有重要意义，因为对分散距离的了解决定了可以完全保护种群的规模。它还确定了适当的储量间距，以使受保护的人群补充相邻的钓鱼区域。该项目将量化金贝湾，巴布亚新几内亚的珊瑚礁鱼的种群连通性，并扩大空间规模，从检查在一个位置（Kimbe Island）产生的幼虫的命运到研究5个指定的NTMR的连通性。这项合作包括培训研究生。该项目的研究还将纳入PI教授的课程中。这项研究与金贝湾（由自然保护协会领导）的持续保护工作高度相关，以及旨在保护和管理珊瑚三角内珊瑚礁的新的六个国家努力。珊瑚三角计划的重点是基于生态系统的管理以及NTMR网络的设计和实现。因此，对人口连通性的估计对于建立强大的科学基础至关重要。