Open and closed seascapes: Where does habitat patchiness create populations with high fractions of self-recruitment?

TY - JOUR

T1 - Open and closed seascapes

T2 - Where does habitat patchiness create populations with high fractions of self-recruitment?

AU - Pinsky, Malin L.

AU - Palumbi, Stephen R.

AU - Andréfouët, Serge

AU - Purkis, Sam J.

PY - 2012/6

Y1 - 2012/6

N2 - Which populations are replenished primarily by immigrants (open) and which by local production (closed) remains an important question for management with implications for response to exploitation, protection, and disturbance. However, we lack methods for predicting population openness. Here, we develop a model for openness and show that considering habitat isolation explains the existence of surprisingly closed populations in highdispersal species, including many marine organisms. Relatively closed populations are expected when patch spacing is more than twice the standard deviation of a species' dispersal kernel. In addition, natural scales of habitat patchiness on coral reefs are sufficient to create both largely open and largely closed populations. Contrary to some previous interpretations, largely closed marine populations do not require mean dispersal distances that are unusually short, even for species with relatively long pelagic larval durations. We predict that habitat patchiness has strong control over population openness for many marine and terrestrial species with a highly dispersive life stage and relatively sedentary adults. This information can be used to make initial predictions about where populations will be more or less resilient to local exploitation and disturbance.

AB - Which populations are replenished primarily by immigrants (open) and which by local production (closed) remains an important question for management with implications for response to exploitation, protection, and disturbance. However, we lack methods for predicting population openness. Here, we develop a model for openness and show that considering habitat isolation explains the existence of surprisingly closed populations in highdispersal species, including many marine organisms. Relatively closed populations are expected when patch spacing is more than twice the standard deviation of a species' dispersal kernel. In addition, natural scales of habitat patchiness on coral reefs are sufficient to create both largely open and largely closed populations. Contrary to some previous interpretations, largely closed marine populations do not require mean dispersal distances that are unusually short, even for species with relatively long pelagic larval durations. We predict that habitat patchiness has strong control over population openness for many marine and terrestrial species with a highly dispersive life stage and relatively sedentary adults. This information can be used to make initial predictions about where populations will be more or less resilient to local exploitation and disturbance.

KW - Connectivity

KW - Coral reef seascapes

KW - Dispersal

KW - Landscape ecology

KW - Marine protected areas

KW - Metapopulation

KW - Population openness

KW - Reef fishes

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84861941847

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/84861941847#tab=citedBy

U2 - 10.1890/11-1240.1

DO - 10.1890/11-1240.1

M3 - Article

C2 - 22827133

SN - 1051-0761

VL - 22

SP - 1257

EP - 1267

JO - Ecological Applications

JF - Ecological Applications

IS - 4

ER -