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

海洋种群之间的联系有多紧密？比较特有和非特有珊瑚鱼的生活史，探讨自我招募的机制。在底栖海洋种群中，捕食远洋幼虫起着至关重要的作用，然而，几乎所有海洋物种的捕食来源和目的地都是未知的。由于特有物种依赖于保留本地产卵的幼虫，它们为研究允许自我招募的机制提供了新的机会。我建议比较特有和密切相关的非特有珊瑚鱼的幼虫耳石的生活史和微化学特征，以确定自我招募的机制和流行程度。研究结果将扩大我们对海洋种群如何补充的理解，以及海洋保护和资源管理所迫切需要的信息。

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