Departamento de Oceanografía Biológica, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, Baja California, México.
Departamento de Oceanografía Física, Centro de Investigación Científica y de Educación Superior de Ensenada (CICESE), Ensenada, Baja California, México.
PLoS One. 2024 Aug 12;19(8):e0308357. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0308357. eCollection 2024.
Computing Lagrangian trajectories with ocean circulation models is a powerful way to infer larval dispersal pathways and connectivity. Defining release areas and timing of particles to represent larval habitat realistically is critical to obtaining representative dispersal pathways. However, it is challenging due to spatial and temporal variability in larval density. Forward-tracking particle experiments were conducted to study larval connectivity of four species (neritic or mesopelagic) in the Gulf of Mexico's (GoM) deep-water region. A seasonal climatology coupled with predicted potential larval habitat models based on generalized additive models was used to delimit the particle dispersal origin. Two contrasting mesoscale circulation patterns were examined: (1) high Loop Current (LC) intrusion, absence of recently detached LC anticyclonic eddies (LC-ACE), and no interaction between LC-ACEs and the semi-permanent cyclonic eddy (CE) in the Bay of Campeche (BoC), and (2) limited LC intrusion, a recently detached LC-ACE, and interaction between LC-ACEs and the BoC's CE. To simulate larval transport, virtual larvae were randomly released in the potential habitats and advected for 30 days with the velocity fields of the HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model with hourly-resolution assimilation. Potential habitat location and size played a major role in dispersal and connectivity. A greater percentage of particles were retained in potential habitats restricted to the southern BoC, suggesting lower connectivity with other GoM regions than those encompassing most of the BoC or the central Gulf. Mesoscale feature interactions in the western GoM and BoC led to greater dispersion along the western basin. By contrast, the absence of ACE-CE interaction in the BoC led to greater retention and less connectivity between the southern and northern GoM. Under high LC intrusion, particles seeded north of the Yucatan Shelf were advected through the Florida Straits and dispersed within the GoM. Coupling potential habitat models with particle experiments can help characterize the dispersal and connectivity of fish larvae in oceanic systems.
利用海洋环流模型计算拉格朗日轨迹是推断幼虫扩散途径和连通性的一种有力方法。为了获得有代表性的扩散途径，现实地定义粒子的释放区域和释放时间以代表幼虫栖息地是至关重要的。然而，由于幼虫密度的空间和时间变化，这是具有挑战性的。进行了前向追踪粒子实验，以研究墨西哥湾（GoM）深水区域的四个物种（近岸或中层巡游）的幼虫连通性。季节性气候与基于广义加性模型预测的潜在幼虫栖息地模型相结合，用于限定粒子扩散起源。研究了两种对比鲜明的中尺度环流模式：（1）高环流（LC）入侵，缺乏最近分离的 LC 反气旋涡旋（LC-ACE），以及 LC-ACE 与坎佩切湾（BoC）的半永久性气旋涡旋（CE）之间没有相互作用，（2）有限的 LC 入侵，最近分离的 LC-ACE，以及 LC-ACE 与 BoC 的 CE 之间的相互作用。为了模拟幼虫运输，在潜在栖息地中随机释放虚拟幼虫，并在每小时分辨率同化的 HYbrid Coordinate Ocean Model 的速度场中进行 30 天的平流。潜在栖息地的位置和大小对扩散和连通性起着重要作用。在受限制的 BoC 南部的潜在栖息地中保留了更大比例的粒子，这表明与其他 GoM 区域的连通性低于那些包含大部分 BoC 或中央海湾的潜在栖息地。GoM 西部和 BoC 中的中尺度特征相互作用导致了西部盆地的更大扩散。相比之下，BoC 中 ACE-CE 相互作用的缺失导致了南部和北部 GoM 之间的更大保留和更少连通性。在高 LC 入侵下，播种在尤卡坦半岛架北部的粒子被平流穿过佛罗里达海峡，并在 GoM 内扩散。将潜在栖息地模型与粒子实验相结合可以帮助描述海洋系统中鱼类幼虫的扩散和连通性。
