Linkages Between Larvae and Recruitment of Coral Reef Fishes Along the Florida Keys Shelf: an Integrated Field and Modeling Analysis of Population Connectivity in a Complex System

该项目涉及海洋种群连通性这一重要而及时的主题。底栖海洋生物种群之间通过幼虫繁殖体的扩散而相互联系的程度，是一个尚未回答的生态学和海洋学核心问题。海洋系统的复杂海洋学、高死亡率和幼虫的分散集中，使得直接测量幼虫来源通常不可行，特别是对于分布在沿着开阔海岸线的海洋种群。此外，生态种群连接不仅是物理运输的幼虫的功能，但也影响幼虫的生长，生存和定居条件的因素的相互作用。例如，与营养丰富的近岸沃茨的幼虫相比，贫营养的开阔海洋环境可能导致幼虫生长较慢，浮游幼虫持续时间较长，幼虫存活率较低。数据表明，幼虫的相对条件影响其在珊瑚礁上的生存和它们对种群的贡献程度。最后，洋流，产卵模式，幼虫生存，定居，以及它们之间的相互作用是高度可变的，唯一的方法来检查生态种群连接在多个时间和空间尺度上的海洋复杂的环境将是数据验证的三维生物物理模型，能够评估扩散的结果在广泛的时间和空间变化。本研究的总体目标是量化的相对贡献的上游（远场）与本地（近场）来源的珊瑚鱼幼虫的佛罗里达键。拟议中的研究将整合一个全面的三维水动力学模型与拉格朗日粒子跟踪模型，以连接所观察到的鱼类浮游生物分布和幼虫定居之间的途径。这项工作的更广泛的影响包括为两名跨学科的研究生提供研究和教育机会，他们的论文研究将是这项研究的一个组成部分，博士后（部分支持），以及几名本科生的实地和实验室助理。人口连通性领域的重要项目得到了生物和物理海洋学方案的合作支持。

This project deals with the important and timely theme of marine population connectivity. The degree to which populations of benthic marine organisms are connected via the dispersal of larval propagules is a central unanswered ecological and oceanographic question. The complex oceanography of marine systems, and high mortality and diffuse concentrations of larvae make direct measurement of larval sources generally unfeasible, particularly for marine populations distributed along open coastlines. In addition, ecological population connectivity is not only a function of the physical transport of larvae, but also the interaction of factors influencing larval growth, survival, and condition at settlement. For example, oligotrophic open-ocean environments may lead to slower larval growth, longer pelagic larval durations, and lower survivorship of larvae compared to larvae from nutrient-rich nearshore waters. Data indicate that the relative condition of larvae influences their survival on the reef and the degree to which they contribute to the population. Ultimately, as ocean currents, spawning patterns, larval survivorship, settlement, and their interactions are highly variable, the only method for examining ecological population connectivity over multiple time and space scales in oceanographically complex environments will be data-validated three dimensional biophysical models capable of assessing dispersal outcomes over a wide range of temporal and spatial variation. The overall goal of this study is to quantify the relative contributions of upstream (far-field) versus local (near-field) sources of reef fish larvae to the Florida Keys. The proposed study will integrate a comprehensive, three dimensional hydrodynamic model with a Lagrangian particle tracking model to connect the pathways between observed ichthyoplankton distributions and larval settlement. The broader impacts of the work include providing research and educational opportunities for two interdisciplinary graduate students whose dissertation research will be an integral part of the study, a post-doc (partial support), and several undergraduate field and laboratory assistants. The important project in the area of Population Connectivity is cooperatively supported by the Biological and Physical Oceanography Programs .