Evaluating the Effects of Barriers on Slimy Sculpin Movement and Population Connectivity Using Novel Sibship‐based and Traditional Genetic Metrics

Larval transport is fundamental to several ecological processes, yet it remains unresolved for the majority of systems. We define larval transport, and describe its components, namely, larval behavior and the physical transport mechanisms accounting for advection, diffusion, and their variability. We then discuss other relevant processes in larval transport, including swimming proficiency, larval duration, accumulation in propagating features, episodic larval transport, and patchiness and spatial variability in larval abundance. We address challenges and recent approaches associated with understanding larval transport, including autonomous sampling, imaging, -omics, and the exponential growth in the use of poorly tested numerical simulation models to examine larval transport and population connectivity. Thus, we discuss the promises and pitfalls of numerical modeling, concluding with recommendations on moving forward, including a need for more process-oriented understanding of the mechanisms of larval transport and the use of emergent technologies.

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Evaluating population connectivity and targeting conservation action for an endangered cat

Ecosphere ◽

10.1002/ecs2.3367 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 12 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Sarah E. Lehnen ◽

Mitch A. Sternberg ◽

Hilary M. Swarts ◽

Steven E. Sesnie

Keyword(s):

Population Connectivity ◽

Conservation Action

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Identifying priority core habitats and corridors for effective conservation of brown bears in Iran

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-79970-z ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (1) ◽

Author(s):

A. Mohammadi ◽

K. Almasieh ◽

D. Nayeri ◽

F. Ataei ◽

A. Khani ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Protected Areas ◽

Brown Bear ◽

Population Connectivity ◽

Habitat Associations ◽

Area Network ◽

Zagros Mountains ◽

Range Limit ◽

Brown Bears ◽

Core Areas ◽

Effective Conservation

AbstractIran lies at the southernmost range limit of brown bears globally. Therefore, understanding the habitat associations and patterns of population connectivity for brown bears in Iran is relevant for the species’ conservation. We applied species distribution modeling to predict habitat suitability and connectivity modeling to identify population core areas and corridors. Our results showed that forest density, topographical roughness, NDVI and human footprint were the most influential variables in predicting brown bear distribution. The most crucial core areas and corridor networks for brown bear are concentrated in the Alborz and Zagros Mountains. These two core areas were predicted to be fragmented into a total of fifteen isolated patches if dispersal of brown bear across the landscape is limited to 50,000 cost units, and aggregates into two isolated habitat patches if the species is capable of dispersing 400,000 cost units. We found low overlap between corridors, and core habitats with protected areas, suggesting that the existing protected area network may not be adequate for the conservation of brown bear in Iran. Our results suggest that effective conservation of brown bears in Iran requires protection of both core habitats and the corridors between them, especially outside Iran’s network of protected areas.

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Nursery origin and population connectivity of swordfish Xiphias gladius in the North Pacific Ocean

Journal of Fish Biology ◽

10.1111/jfb.14723 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

R. J. David Wells ◽

Veronica A. Quesnell ◽

Robert L. Humphreys ◽

Heidi Dewar ◽

Jay R. Rooker ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Pacific Ocean ◽

North Pacific ◽

North Pacific Ocean ◽

Population Connectivity ◽

The North ◽

Xiphias Gladius ◽

The North Pacific

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Recruitment, Dispersal, and Demographic Rescue in Spatially-Structured White-Tailed Ptarmigan Populations

The Condor ◽

10.1093/condor/102.3.503 ◽

2000 ◽

Vol 102 (3) ◽

pp. 503-516 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Kathy Martin ◽

Peter B. Stacey ◽

Clait E. Braun

Keyword(s):

General Pattern ◽

Population Connectivity ◽

Site Location ◽

Breeding Sites ◽

Stochastic Conditions ◽

Local Survival ◽

Regular Event ◽

Study Sites ◽

One Year ◽

Almost All

Abstract We studied recruitment and dispersal of White-tailed Ptarmigan (Lagopus leucurus) breeding in naturally fragmented alpine habitats at four study sites in Colorado from 1987–1998. Almost all recruitment for both sexes, particularly females, was of birds produced outside local populations and also external to nearby studied populations. Populations were more dependent on female recruitment than on male recruitment to sustain them, and patterns of recruitment were not correlated with local survival of adults or production of young the previous year, except at one site for females. Over 95% of recruits were yearlings. Breeding dispersal of adults, an infrequent but regular event, was also important to inter-population connectivity. Our data for multiple populations allowed us to describe movement patterns among populations to assess consistency with conditions required for a rescue system. After widespread reproductive failure in one year, we expected all populations the next year would have low recruitment due to a reduced supply of recruits produced in the region. Recruitment was low, but impact varied among populations. We conducted an over-winter study of radio-marked offspring to determine possible influences of winter site location and relatives on recruitment patterns. Contrary to expectation, offspring remained on or near breeding sites in winter, but were not located near their mothers or siblings. Recruitment location was related to winter site location. White-tailed Ptarmigan exhibit a well developed capacity for external recruitment that allows them to persist in small populations with stochastic conditions for breeding and survival. Extensive external recruitment may be a general pattern for birds.

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Stirred but not shaken: population and recruitment genetics of the scallop (Pecten fumatus) in Bass Strait, Australia

ICES Journal of Marine Science ◽

10.1093/icesjms/fsw068 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 73 (9) ◽

pp. 2333-2341 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Jennifer R. Ovenden ◽

Bree J. Tillett ◽

Michael Macbeth ◽

Damien Broderick ◽

Fiona Filardo ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Genetic Structure ◽

Population Genetic Structure ◽

Population Genetic ◽

Allelic Variation ◽

Open Water ◽

Marine Species ◽

Population Connectivity ◽

Valuable Insight ◽

Fine Scale ◽

Scale Population

Abstract We report population genetic structure and fine-scale recruitment processes for the scallop beds (Pecten fumatus) in Bass Strait and the eastern coastline of Tasmania in southern Australia. Conventional population pairwise FST analyses are compared with novel discriminant analysis of principal components (DAPC) to assess population genetic structure using allelic variation in 11 microsatellite loci. Fine-scale population connectivity was compared with oceanic features of the sampled area. Disjunct scallop beds were genetically distinct, but there was little population genetic structure between beds connected by tides and oceanic currents. To identify recruitment patterns among and within beds, pedigree analyses determined the distribution of parent–offspring and sibling relationships in the sampled populations. Beds in northeastern Bass Strait were genetically distinct to adjacent beds (FST 0.003–0.005) and may not contribute to wider recruitment based on biophysical models of larval movement. Unfortunately, pedigree analyses lacked power to further dissect fine-scale recruitment processes including self-recruitment. Our results support the management of disjunct populations as separate stocks and the protection of source populations among open water beds. The application of DAPC and parentage analyses in the current study provided valuable insight into their potential power to determine population connectivity in marine species with larval dispersal.

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