Larval Dispersal and Retention Among Sub-populations of Coral Reef Fishes: A Multi-Technique Approach

珊瑚礁鱼类亚群中幼虫的扩散和保留：多种技术方法

• 批准号: 0928442
• 负责人: Simon Thorrold
• 金额: $ 79万
• 依托单位: Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-01-01 至 2013-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0928442&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Larval; Dispersal; Retention; Among; Sub

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Population connectivity, the degree to which geographically-separated groups are linked by dispersal, is a critical parameter in the dynamics of marine populations. Connectivity rates determine colonization patterns of new habitats, the resiliency of populations to harvest, and the design of networks of No Take Marine Reserves (NTMRs). Quantifying exchange rates in marine organisms is extremely difficult because natal origins of adults are almost invariably unknown. This lack of knowledge is primarily due to the difficulty of conducting mark-recapture studies in species with large numbers of small pelagic offspring that suffer high initial mortality rates. This project will continue a multi-technique approach combining mass-marking of fish embryos using TRAnsgenerational Isotope Labeling (TRAIL) of otoliths and paternity analyses based on hypervariable microsatellite DNA markers to measure dispersal distances of coral reef fishes. Population connectivity will be estimated for two species (Amphiprion percula and Chaetodon vagabundus) in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea. Coral reef organisms are usually distributed across a mosaic of reefs that are sometimes separated by the ocean. It has been presumed that at small scales, reefs must be open populations, with significant exchange of larvae among neighboring reefs. At larger scales, populations must effectively be closed, with late-stage larvae returning to the same population as their parents. The scale over which this transition takes place is unknown. Recent evidence suggests that ecologically significant self-recruitment may occur at scales of individual reefs or islands. If accurate, these findings have important implications for management strategies for marine species, including the design of networks of NTMRs, because knowledge of dispersal distances determines the scale over which populations can be completely protected. It also determines the appropriate spacing of reserves to allow protected populations to replenish adjacent fished areas. This project will quantify population connectivity of coral reef fishes in Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea and broaden the spatial scale from examining the fate of larvae spawned at a single location (Kimbe Island) to examining connectivity among 5 designated NTMRs.The project will strengthen international collaborations among researchers from the US, Australia and France with expertise in otolith geochemistry, reef fish ecology, and population genetics. This collaboration includes the training of a graduate student. Research from the project will also be incorporated into courses taught by the PI. The research is highly relevant to ongoing conservation efforts in Kimbe Bay (led by The Nature Conservancy) and a new and ambitious six-nation effort to protect and manage coral reefs within the Coral Triangle. A major focus of the Coral Triangle Initiative will be ecosystem-based management and the design and implementation of a network of NTMRs. Estimates of population connectivity will, therefore, be vital to establish a strong scientific basis for management efforts.

该奖项根据 2009 年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法 111-5）提供资金。种群连通性，即地理上分离的群体通过分散而联系在一起的程度，是海洋种群动态的一个关键参数。连通率决定了新栖息地的殖民模式、种群捕捞的弹性以及 No Take 海洋保护区 (NTMR) 网络的设计。量化海洋生物的汇率极其困难，因为成年人的出生起源几乎总是未知的。这种知识的缺乏主要是由于对具有大量小型中上层后代且初始死亡率较高的物种进行标记重新捕获研究很困难。该项目将继续采用多种技术方法，结合使用耳石跨代同位素标记 (TRAIL) 对鱼类胚胎进行质量标记，以及基于超变微卫星 DNA 标记的亲子关系分析，以测量珊瑚礁鱼类的扩散距离。将估计巴布亚新几内亚金贝湾的两个物种（Amphiprion percula 和 Chaetodon vagabundus）的种群连通性。珊瑚礁生物通常分布在有时被海洋隔开的珊瑚礁镶嵌体中。据推测，在小尺度上，珊瑚礁一定是开放的种群，相邻珊瑚礁之间存在大量的幼虫交换。在更大的范围内，必须有效地关闭种群，使晚期幼虫返回到与其父母相同的种群中。这种转变发生的规模尚不清楚。最近的证据表明，具有生态意义的自我补充可能发生在单个珊瑚礁或岛屿的规模上。如果准确的话，这些发现对海洋物种的管理策略具有重要意义，包括 NTMR 网络的设计，因为对扩散距离的了解决定了种群可以得到完全保护的规模。它还确定了保护区的适当间距，以使受保护的种群能够补充邻近的捕捞区域。该项目将量化巴布亚新几内亚金贝湾珊瑚礁鱼类种群的连通性，并扩大空间尺度，从检查在单个地点（金贝岛）产卵的幼虫的命运到检查 5 个指定 NTMR 之间的连通性。该项目将加强国际来自美国、澳大利亚和法国的研究人员在耳石地球化学、珊瑚礁鱼类生态学和种群遗传学方面具有专业知识的合作。此次合作包括对研究生的培训。该项目的研究也将纳入 PI 教授的课程中。这项研究与金贝湾正在进行的保护工作（由大自然保护协会领导）以及六国为保护和管理珊瑚三角区珊瑚礁而开展的雄心勃勃的新努力密切相关。珊瑚三角倡议的一个主要重点是基于生态系统的管理以及 NTMR 网络的设计和实施。因此，人口连通性的估计对于为管理工作建立强有力的科学基础至关重要。