Lost at sea? Understanding adaptation and dispersal in spiny lobsters

持续招募幼鱼是补充种群的基础，特别是在捕捞种群的情况下。现有的理论表明，具有很长浮游幼虫阶段的物种广泛分布，确保了它们的基因很好地混合在一起。然而，最近发现的岩龙虾种群之间的遗传差异挑战了这一范式，并表明尽管幼体在海洋中混杂多年，但当地的招募和/或适应正在发挥作用。基因组学和生物信息学的最新发展应该使这个项目能够理解支撑这些遗传特征的生态过程，并确定它们的进化含义。这些发现可能会指导对枯竭的渔业种群进行有针对性的重建。

Continual recruitment of young is fundamental to the replenishment of populations, especially when a stock is fished. Existing theory suggests that species with very long planktonic larval stages disperse widely, ensuring their genes are well mixed. However, recently identified genetic differences between populations of rock lobster challenge this paradigm and demonstrate that despite larvae mixing in the ocean for years, local recruitment and/or adaptation are at play. Recent developments in genomics and bioinformatics should allow this project to understand the ecological processes underpinning these genetic signatures and determine their evolutionary implications. Such findings could direct targeted rebuilding of depleted fisheries stocks.