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《美国复苏和再投资法案》(公法111-5)资助的。人口连通性是海洋种群动态的一个关键参数，人口连通性是地理上分散的群体通过扩散联系在一起的程度。连通率决定了新栖息地的殖民模式、种群对捕捞的恢复能力以及无捕捞海洋保护区(NTMR)网络的设计。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，很难对具有大量小型远洋后代的物种进行标记-重新捕获研究，这些物种的初始死亡率很高。该项目将继续采用多种技术方法，结合使用耳石跨代同位素标记(TRAIL)对鱼类胚胎进行质量标记和基于超变量微卫星DNA标记的亲子关系分析，以测量珊瑚礁鱼类的扩散距离。将对巴布亚新几内亚金贝湾的两个物种(Amphiprion Percula和Chaetdon ovabundus)的种群连接性进行估计。珊瑚礁生物通常分布在有时被海洋隔开的一系列珊瑚礁上。据推测，在小范围内，珊瑚礁必须是开放的种群，相邻珊瑚礁之间有大量的幼虫交换。在更大的规模上，种群必须有效地关闭，晚期幼虫返回到与其父母相同的种群。这种转变发生的规模尚不清楚。最近的证据表明，在个别珊瑚礁或岛屿的规模上，可能会发生具有重大生态意义的自我招募。如果准确的话，这些发现对海洋物种的管理战略有重要的影响，包括国家海洋物种管理网络的设计，因为对扩散距离的了解决定了种群能够在多大程度上得到完全保护。它还确定了适当的保护区间距，以使受保护种群能够补充邻近的捕鱼区。该项目将量化巴布亚新几内亚金贝湾珊瑚礁鱼类的种群连通性，并扩大空间范围，从研究在单一地点(金贝岛)产卵的幼体的命运，到研究5个指定的NMT之间的连通性。该项目将加强来自美国、澳大利亚和法国的研究人员之间的国际合作，这些研究人员拥有耳石地球化学、珊瑚礁鱼类生态学和种群遗传学方面的专业知识。这种合作包括对一名研究生的培训。该项目的研究也将被纳入国际和平研究所教授的课程。这项研究与金贝湾(由自然保护协会领导)正在进行的保护工作以及保护和管理珊瑚三角内珊瑚礁的新的、雄心勃勃的六国努力高度相关。珊瑚三角倡议的一个主要重点将是基于生态系统的管理以及设计和实施国家海洋生态系统网络。因此，对人口连通性的估计对于为管理工作建立强有力的科学基础至关重要。