Biology Department, City University of New York, College of Staten Island, , 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY 10314, USA.
J R Soc Interface. 2014 Jan 22;11(93):20130888. doi: 10.1098/rsif.2013.0888. Print 2014 Apr 6.
Population connectivity and spatial distribution are fundamentally related to ecology, evolution and behaviour. Here, we combined powerful genetic analysis with simulations of particle dispersal in a high-resolution ocean circulation model to investigate the distribution of green turtles foraging at the remote Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, central Pacific. We analysed mitochondrial sequences from turtles (n = 349) collected there over 5 years (2008-2012). Genetic analysis assigned natal origins almost exclusively (approx. 97%) to the West Central and South Central Pacific combined Regional Management Units. Further, our modelling results indicated that turtles could potentially drift from rookeries to Palmyra Atoll via surface currents along a near-Equatorial swathe traversing the Pacific. Comparing findings from genetics and modelling highlighted the complex impacts of ocean currents and behaviour on natal origins. Although the Palmyra feeding ground was highly differentiated genetically from others in the Indo-Pacific, there was no significant differentiation among years, sexes or stage-classes at the Refuge. Understanding the distribution of this foraging population advances knowledge of green turtles and contributes to effective conservation planning for this threatened species.
种群连通性和空间分布与生态学、进化和行为有根本的联系。在这里，我们将强大的遗传分析与粒子在高分辨率海洋环流模型中扩散的模拟相结合，以调查在偏远的太平洋帕迈拉环礁国家野生动物保护区（中太平洋）觅食的绿海龟的分布情况。我们分析了在那里收集的海龟（n=349）的线粒体序列，时间跨度为 5 年（2008-2012 年）。遗传分析几乎完全确定了海龟的出生地（约 97%）来自中西太平洋和中-南太平洋联合区域管理单位。此外，我们的模型结果表明，海龟可以通过沿赤道附近的表层流从栖息地漂流到帕迈拉环礁。将遗传学和模型的研究结果进行比较，突出了海洋流和行为对出生地的复杂影响。尽管帕迈拉觅食地在遗传上与印度洋-太平洋地区的其他地区高度分化，但在保护区内，年份、性别或阶段之间没有明显的分化。了解这个觅食种群的分布情况，有助于提高对绿海龟的认识，并为保护这个受威胁物种做出有效的规划。
