Genomic analysis of population connectivity in the Scottish marine protected areas network to inform nature conservation

了解受保护物种种群和栖息地之间以及海洋保护区之间的连通性，对于成功管理苏格兰海洋环境至关重要。为了能够建立苏格兰政府设想的保护区的“连贯的生态网络”，迫切需要对人口之间和人口内部的连通性进行广泛的基础研究。在确定和界定发展、捕捞活动和气候变化等压力对海洋生物多样性的威胁以及确定人口从不利影响中恢复的能力时，连接程度是一个主要因素。遗传信息可用于调查种群之间以及种群内生殖过程和动态的连通性。优先海洋地物(PMF)是苏格兰水域的海洋栖息地和物种，是保护的优先事项。许多PMF受到威胁或正在下降，这增加了了解人口之间联系的紧迫性和重要性。该项目最初将重点研究火焰贝壳(Limaria Hians)床之间的连通性，然后酌情扩展到其他PMF。对火焰贝壳床的研究将建立在URI和SNH目前正在进行的研究的基础上，以开发标记并评估苏格兰部分人群的遗传连通性，将分析范围扩大到整个苏格兰范围。苏格兰火焰壳(Limaria Hians)床具有国际重要性，其栖息地被认为在苏格兰水域严重退化和受到威胁。在苏格兰，火焰贝壳床是优先海洋地貌(PMF)，是苏格兰西海岸几个海洋保护区的受保护特征，根据定于2018年底举行的PMF审查咨询，渔业管理措施考虑进一步保护火焰贝壳床。苏格兰火焰贝壳床之间的连接程度尚不清楚。所有这一切使得评估苏格兰火焰贝壳床之间的连通性成为海洋自然保护工作的高度优先事项。一旦为火焰贝壳建立和优化了标记开发和分析程序，进一步的PMF将被认为是适当的，以便能够更全面地分析MPA网络内的连通性。该项目的目标是：通过基因筛选，确定苏格兰火焰贝壳床内和适当的其他PMF内和之间的广泛遗传分化和基因流动通过确定来源来澄清MPA地点内的种群之间以及未受保护的种群之间的关系，汇聚种群和自招种群比较海鞘幼体和成体个体以及来自同一种群的其他PMF的遗传差异，以确定自招。遗传分析的结果将与数学模型产生的结果和预测进行比较和对比，以最大限度地提高自然保护工作的实际价值。

Understanding connectivity between populations of protected species and habitats, and between Marine Protected Areas, is crucial to the successful management of the Scottish marine environment. In order to be able to establish the "coherent ecological network" of protected areas envisaged by the Scottish government extensive fundamental research into connectivity between and within populations is urgently needed. The degree of connectivity is a major factor in determining and defining threats to marine biodiversity from pressures such as development, fishing activity, and climate change, and in determining a population's ability to recover from adverse impacts. Genetic information can be used to investigate connectivity between populations as well as intra-population reproductive processes and dynamics. Priority marine features (PMFs) are marine habitats and species which are conservation priorities in Scottish waters. Many PMFs are under threat or in decline, which increases the urgency and importance of understanding connectivity between populations. This project will initially focus on researching connectivity between flame shell (Limaria hians) beds, and then expand to other PMFs as appropriate. The research on flame shell beds will build on currently ongoing research by UHI and SNH to develop markers and assess genetic connectivity for a subset of populations in Scotland, extending analysis to cover the entire Scottish range. Scottish flame shell (Limaria hians) beds are of international importance, and the habitat is considered to be severely declined and threatened in Scottish waters. In Scotland, flame shell beds are a priority marine feature (PMF), a protected feature in several MPAs along the Scottish west coast, and are considered for further protection by fisheries management measures under the PMF review consultation scheduled for the end of 2018.The degree of connectivity between flame shell beds in Scotland is unknown. All this makes an assessment of connectivity between Scottish flame shell beds a high priority to marine nature conservation work.Once procedures for marker development and analysis are established and optimised for flame shells further PMFs will be considered as appropriate to enable a more comprehensive analysis of connectivity within the MPA network.Aims of this project are to:Determine broad-scale genetic differentiation and gene flow within and between Scotland's flame shell beds, and other PMFs as appropriate, via genetic screeningClarify the relationship between populations within MPA sites, and between unprotected populations by identifying source, sink and self-recruiting populations Compare genetic differentiation between juvenile and adult individuals of L. hians and other PMFs from the same population to identify self-recruitmentThe findings from the genetic analysis will be compared and contrasted with outputs and predictions created by mathematical modelling to maximise practical value for nature conservation work.