Recommendations for improving maerl bed protection, informed by a combined genetic, physiology and modelling approach

Maerl是一种自由生活的红色海藻，形成坚硬的碳酸钙骨架，使其外观与珊瑚相似。从潮间带到海面以下数百米，全球各地都可以发现海砂堆积形成的“床”。欧洲30%的海底都分布在苏格兰西海岸和岛屿上，沿着。Maerl是一名生物工程师，创建复杂的3D结构和生态位，支持高水平的生物多样性，并为鳕鱼，鳕鱼和扇贝等商业重要物种提供重要的栖息地。同样，梅尔床也是蓝碳的重要储备--它们吸收二氧化碳并在生物过程中将其固定。尽管它们很重要，但海洋床受到不断变化的气候和人类活动的威胁，如底鱼捕捞和水产养殖。Maerl床受到《海洋生物指令》附件一的保护，苏格兰周围的许多地方都在海洋保护区内，但这些保护区的位置是基于缺乏数据。因此，该项目旨在通过使用遗传生理学和建模来改进保护和管理做法。苏格兰周围的maerl床的全部范围是未知的，所以第一个目标是使用物种分布模型来构建概率分布图，并确定可能发生maerl床的区域。这些概率分布将由当前已知的maerl分布和环境数据（如水温和潮汐作用）提供信息。将通过实地调查对确定的具有支持maerl的高潜力的区域进行验证。将调查梅勒床的遗传连接性、床内遗传结构和繁殖策略，以便更好地了解连锁并为保护策略提供信息。将查明任何遗传汇、遗传多样性低的河床或以无性繁殖为主的河床。将开发微卫星标记，以最大限度地提高数据质量。将评估常见的苏格兰马尔物种的固碳能力，以提高对马尔在蓝碳处理中的作用的理解。这与苏格兰周围的床的遗传连锁的理解将被用来评估目前的保护策略，为maerl，并提出建议，在未来更有针对性和有效的政策，如果有必要的。优先养护的地区，例如作为周围海床遗传物质来源的地区、遗传多样性高的地区或固碳能力高的地区，将被确定和推荐为养护地区。

Maerl is a type of free-living red seaweed which forms hard calcium carbonate skeletons, giving it a similar appearance to coral. Accumulations of maerl form 'beds' that are found worldwide, from the intertidal zone to hundreds of meters below the sea surface. 30% of Europe's maerl beds are found along the west coast of Scotland and the islands. Maerl is a bioengineer, creating complex 3D structures and ecological niches which support a high levels of biodiversity and provide important habitats for commercially important species like Cod, Hake and Scallops. Similarly, maerl beds are important stocks of Blue Carbon - they take in carbon dioxide and fix it in biological processes. Despite their importance, maerl beds are threatened by changing climates and human activities such as demersal fishing and aquaculture. Maerl beds are protected both under Annex I of the Habitats Directive and many around Scotland are in Marine Protected Areas, however the placement of these is based on a paucity of data. Therefore, this project aims to improve conservation and management practices through the use of genetics physiology and modelling. The full extent of maerl beds around Scotland is not known, so the first aim is to use species distribution modelling to construct a probabilistic distribution map and identify areas where maerl beds could occur. These probabilistic distributions will be informed by current known maerl distributions and environmental data such as water temperature and tidal action. The areas identified with high-potential to support maerl will be validated by field investigation. The genetic connectivity of maerl beds, the within-bed genetic structure and reproductive strategy will be investigated in order to better understand linkage and inform conservation strategy. Any genetic sinks, beds of low genetic diversity or those dominated by asexual reproduction will be identified. Microsatellite markers will be developed in order to maximise data quality. The carbon sequestration capacities of the common Scottish maerl species will be evaluated to improve understanding of maerl's role in blue carbon processing. This coupled with understanding of genetic linkage of beds around Scotland will be used to evaluate current conservation strategies for maerl and make recommendations for more targeted and effective policies in the future, if necessary. Areas of conservation priority, such as those which are sources of genetic material for surrounding beds, those with high genetic diversity or those with high carbon sequestration capacities, will be identified and recommended as areas for conservation.