The contribution of behaviour to the population and fisheries ecology of the American lobster Homarus americanus

个体的行为（广义）及其在空间和时间上的变化影响种群的结构和动态，但用于研究和模拟动物种群的传统方法没有明确考虑。最近有一个显着增加使用“基于个体”的模型来研究动物种群，其中种群的特征是由于行为（s.l.）(e.g.,运动、生长）和离散个体的相互作用。这些以个人为基础的方法大大揭示了自然界的人口模式和过程。例如，在海洋环境中，基于个体的空间明确生物物理模型在预测不同种类的无脊椎动物和鱼类的幼虫扩散方面显示出相当大的潜力，并显示出幼虫的行为可以明显限制扩散（即，增加保留），这反过来又会显著影响人口和遗传联系。这些生物物理模型基于环境的物理特性（例如，电流、温度）和感兴趣物种的个体的生物学（例如，不同温度下的发育、死亡率、游泳行为）。尽管取得了这些重要进展，行为在调节种群模式和动态方面的作用对大多数物种来说仍然是未知的。** 在这项发现补助金中，我建议将我建立的关于海洋无脊椎动物表型地理变异的原因和后果的研究计划用于研究美国龙虾的种群结构和连通性，Homarus americanus，它支持加拿大最重要的渔业，在土地价值和就业方面。我和我的学生将量化相同育雏个体之间i）胚胎发育率，ii）孵化时胚胎大小，iii）幼虫游泳行为和iv）幼虫定居行为的变化（即，同一雌性），不同的窝（即，不同的雌性）来自同一地点，不同的育雏来自整个物种范围的不同地点。我们将进行实验室和实地研究，以解决有关这种变化的机制和进化意义的不同假设，并将使用基于个人的生物物理模型来评估其对幼虫扩散和管理区域之间的连通性的影响。这项研究将为美国龙虾早期生命阶段表型变异的模式、机制、功能和人口统计学后果提供新的知识和理解。它将促进我们对行为和进化生态学对动物种群的贡献的理解，并将提供与收获者和管理者有关的龙虾种群结构和管理区域之间的连通性的信息。

The behaviour (sensu lato) of individuals, and its variation over space and time, affects the structure and dynamics of populations, but is not explicitly considered by the traditional approaches used to study and model animal populations. There has recently been a marked increase in the use of “individual-based” models to study animal populations, where the characteristics of populations emerge as a result of the behaviour (s.l.) (e.g., movements, growth) and interaction of discrete individuals. These individual-based approaches have shed considerable light on demographic patterns and processes in nature. In the marine environment, for example, individual-based spatially explicit bio-physical models have shown considerable potential for predicting larval dispersal in different species of invertebrates and fishes, and have revealed that larval behaviour can markedly limit dispersal (i.e., increase retention) from an area, which in turn can markedly affect demographic and genetic connectivity. These biophysical models are based on physical properties of the environment (e.g., current, temperature) and the biology of individuals of the species of interest (e.g., development at different temperatures, mortality rates, swimming behaviour). Despite these important advances, the role of behaviour in modulating patterns and dynamics of populations is still largely unknown for most species. ******In this Discovery Grant I propose to bring my established research program on the causes and consequences of geographic variation in the phenotype of marine invertebrates to the study of stock structure and connectivity in the American lobster, Homarus americanus, which supports the single-most important fishery in Canada, in terms of landed value and employment. My students and I will quantify variation in i) embryo development rate, ii) embryo size at hatch, iii) larval swimming behaviour, and iv) larval settlement behaviour, among individuals of the same brood (i.e., a same female), different broods (i.e., different females) from the same location, and different broods from different locations throughout the species' range. We will conduct lab and field studies to address different hypotheses concerning the mechanisms and evolutionary significance of this variation, and will use an individual-based bio-physical model to assess its impact on larval dispersal and connectivity between management areas. This research will provide new knowledge and understanding of the patterns, mechanisms, functions and demographic consequences of phenotypic variation in early life stages of American lobsters. It will advance our understanding of the contribution of behavioural and evolutionary ecology to animal populations, and will provide information that is germane to harvesters and managers concerning lobster stock structure and connectivity between management areas.