Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, United States of America.
PLoS One. 2013 Jun 7;8(6):e64970. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0064970. Print 2013.
Predicting the oceanic dispersal of planktonic larvae that connect scattered marine animal populations is difficult, yet crucial for management of species whose movements transcend international boundaries. Using multi-scale biophysical modeling techniques coupled with empirical estimates of larval behavior and gamete production, we predict and empirically verify spatio-temporal patterns of larval supply and describe the Caribbean-wide pattern of larval connectivity for the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus), an iconic coral reef species whose commercial value approaches $1 billion USD annually. Our results provide long sought information needed for international cooperation in the management of marine resources by identifying lobster larval connectivity and dispersal pathways throughout the Caribbean. Moreover, we outline how large-scale fishery management could explicitly recognize metapopulation structure by considering larval transport dynamics and pelagic larval sanctuaries.
预测连接分散的海洋动物种群的浮游幼虫的海洋扩散是困难的，但对于管理那些跨越国际边界运动的物种至关重要。我们使用多尺度生物物理建模技术，并结合对幼虫行为和配子生产的经验估计，预测和经验验证了幼虫供应的时空模式，并描述了加勒比刺龙虾（Panulirus argus）的幼虫连通性的加勒比模式，这是一种标志性的珊瑚礁物种，其商业价值每年接近 10 亿美元。我们的研究结果通过确定整个加勒比地区的龙虾幼虫连通性和扩散途径，为国际合作管理海洋资源提供了长期以来所需的信息。此外，我们还概述了大规模渔业管理如何通过考虑幼虫运输动态和浮游幼虫保护区来明确认识到种群结构。
