How connected are marine populations? Comparing life histories of endemic and non-endemic reef fishes to investigate the mechanisms behind self-recruitment.

浮游幼虫的补充在底栖海洋种群中起着重要作用，但几乎所有海洋物种的补充来源和目的地都不清楚。由于特有种依赖于保留当地产卵的幼虫，他们提供了一个新的机会，调查机制，允许自我招聘。 我建议比较的生活史和微量化学签名的地方性和密切相关的非地方性的珊瑚礁鱼类的幼虫耳石，以确定自我招聘的机制和患病率。研究结果将扩大我们对海洋种群如何补充的理解，这是海洋保护和资源管理急需的信息。

Recruitment of pelagic larvae plays a fundamental role in benthic marine populations, yet the sources and destinations of recruits are unknown for nearly all marine species. Because endemic species rely on retention of locally spawned larvae, they provide a novel opportunity for investigating the mechanisms allowing self-recruitment. I propose to compare the life histories and microchemical signatures in larval otoliths of endemic and closely related non-endemic reef fishes to determine the mechanisms and prevalence of self-recruitment. The results will broaden our understanding of how marine populations are replenished, information critically needed for marine conservation and resource management.