Multiscale assessment of spatial population dynamics of inshore rockfish populations

气候变化、栖息地改变和过度开发是威胁包括加拿大在内的全球海洋种群的主要过程。不列颠哥伦比亚省（bc）乔治亚海峡周围深峡湾海洋生态系统中的近海岩鱼种群（例如，sebades caurinus， S. maliger）可能特别处于危险之中，因为这些威胁已经被记录在案，并且未来可能会增加。此外，岩鱼具有在灭绝或受威胁的海洋物种中常见的生活史和生态特征。例如，岩鱼寿命长（45-76年），出生率相对较低，成熟年龄高（12-18年），在深岩礁定居后流动性低。因此，美国的一些岩鱼种群被认为“有灭绝的危险”就不足为奇了。我的研究结合了实证和建模方法，以改进对环境变化对人口影响的预测。这个提案描述了两个具体的实地研究项目，以支持我的长期研究目标。首先，我建议研究近海岩鱼的栖息地复杂性、种群密度、生长和生存之间的局部尺度关系。这些“依赖密度”的过程对岩鱼种群的可持续性以及我们确定基本鱼类栖息地的能力至关重要。我的第二个目标是研究区域范围内的连通性，即岩鱼种群之间的个体交换。连通性是由生境斑块的空间分布、近岸岩鱼幼虫的扩散能力以及当地海洋特征（如水流和食物供应）决定的。除其他因素外，这些因素共同决定了近海岩鱼种群对气候变化的长期反应。本提案的跨学科研究为培养高素质的环境生物学家和未来的资源管理者提供了理想的机会。我强调实地实证研究和定量分析，培养研究生和本科生的学术准备、技术技能、领导能力以及后勤规划和执行能力。

Climate change, habitat alteration, and over-exploitation are the main processes that threaten marine populations world-wide, including those in Canada. Inshore rockfish populations (e.g., Sebastes caurinus, S. maliger) in deep fjord marine ecosystems around the Strait of Georgia, British Columbia (B.C.) may be particularly at-risk because these threats have already been documented and will likely increase in the future. Furthermore, rockfish have life-history and ecological characteristics that are common among extinct, or threatened, marine species. For example, rockfish are long-lived (45-76 yr), have relatively low birthrates, high age-at-maturity (12-18 yr), and low mobility following settlement to deep rocky reefs. It is therefore not surprising that some rockfish populations in the U.S.A. are considered "at risk of extinction". My research combines empirical and modeling approaches to improve predictions of the population consequences of environmental change. This proposal describes two specific field research programs that support my long-term research goals. First, I propose to examine local-scale relationships among habitat complexity, population density, growth, and survival of inshore rockfish. These "density-dependent" processes are central to rockfish population sustainability as well as our ability to determine essential fish habitat. My second objective examines regional-scale connectivity, or the exchange of individuals among rockfish populations. Connectivity is determined by the spatial distribution of habitat patches, the dispersal ability of inshore rockfish larvae, and the local oceanographic features such as currents and food availability. These factors, among others, combine to determine the long-term response of inshore rockfish populations to climate change. The inter-disciplinary research in this proposal offers an ideal opportunity for training highly qualified environmental biologists and future resource managers. My emphasis on empirical field research and quantitative analysis fosters graduate and undergraduate academic preparation, technical skill, leadership, and logistical planning and execution.