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Larval retention and recruitment in an island population of a coral-reef fish

Author

Listed:
  • Stephen E. Swearer

    (Evolution and Marine Biology and Marine Science Institute)

  • Jennifer E. Caselle

    (Evolution and Marine Biology and Marine Science Institute)

  • David W. Lea

    (University of California)

  • Robert R. Warner

    (Evolution and Marine Biology and Marine Science Institute)

Abstract

For close to a century, recruitment of larvae to a local population has been widely accepted as a primary determinant of marine population dynamics1,2. However, progress in elucidating the causes of recruitment variability has been greatly impeded by our ignorance of the sources of recruits. Although it is often assumed that recruitment is independent of local reproduction3,4,5,6, there is increasing circumstantial evidence that physical7,8 and behavioural9,10 mechanisms could facilitate larval retention near source populations. To develop a direct method for reconstructing the dispersal history of recruiting larvae, we put forward the hypothesis that differences in nutrient and trace-element concentrations between coastal and open oceans could result in quantifiable differences in growth rate and elemental composition between larvae developing in coastal waters (locally retained) and larvae developing in open ocean waters (produced in distant locations). Using this method, we show that recruitment to an island population of a widely distributed coral-reef fish may often result from local retention on leeward reefs. This result has implications for fisheries management and marine reserve design, because rates of dispersal between marine populations—and thus recruitment to exploited populations—could be much lower than currently assumed.

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen E. Swearer & Jennifer E. Caselle & David W. Lea & Robert R. Warner, 1999. "Larval retention and recruitment in an island population of a coral-reef fish," Nature, Nature, vol. 402(6763), pages 799-802, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:402:y:1999:i:6763:d:10.1038_45533
    DOI: 10.1038/45533
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    Cited by:

    1. Nelson Valdivia & Ricardo A Scrosati & Markus Molis & Amanda S Knox, 2011. "Variation in Community Structure across Vertical Intertidal Stress Gradients: How Does It Compare with Horizontal Variation at Different Scales?," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(8), pages 1-8, August.
    2. Georgina M Cooke & Timothy E Schlub & William B Sherwin & Terry J Ord, 2016. "Understanding the Spatial Scale of Genetic Connectivity at Sea: Unique Insights from a Land Fish and a Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(5), pages 1-25, May.
    3. Berglund, Moa & Nilsson Jacobi, Martin & Jonsson, Per R., 2012. "Optimal selection of marine protected areas based on connectivity and habitat quality," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 240(C), pages 105-112.
    4. Figueira, Will F., 2009. "Connectivity or demography: Defining sources and sinks in coral reef fish metapopulations," Ecological Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 220(8), pages 1126-1137.
    5. Antonio Di Franco & Fabio Bulleri & Antonio Pennetta & Giuseppe De Benedetto & K Robert Clarke & Paolo Guidetti, 2014. "Within-Otolith Variability in Chemical Fingerprints: Implications for Sampling Designs and Possible Environmental Interpretation," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(7), pages 1-11, July.

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