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13th Biennial Challenger Conference for Marine Science8th -11th September 2008 |
Gary R Carvalho, Molecular Ecology & Fisheries Genetics Laboratory, School of Biological Sciences, Bangor University, Bangor, UK and Rock, J., (BU), Young, E., (BAS), Murphy, E., (BAS), Hutchinson, B., University of Hull, Meredith, M., (BAS), Thorpe, S., (BAS), North, T., (BAS), Belchier, M., (BAS), Collins, M., (BAS), Everson, I., (BAS), Hauser, L., University of Washington, Rodhouse, P., (BAS)
(BU), Bangor University; (BAS) British Antarctic Survey
Dispersal of populations, species and communities is a primary determinant of how environmental change might influence biodiversity. Small, isolated and fragmented biotas will differ fundamentally in their response and resilience to environmental stress, compared with taxa that are broadly distributed, abundant, and with a frequent exchange of members. The latter are more likely to withstand extremes, and have a greater probability of recovery based on their predicted higher recruitment and evolutionary potential. Although such processes are well studied, it remains unclear how best we can incorporate the salient physical and biological heterogeneity typical of marine species and ecosystems to generate reliable predictors of dispersal and gene flow. Here, I outline recent developments in methods and theory that aim to integrate geographically-based physical information with genetic estimates of dispersal and connectivity: so-called "seascape genetics". Opportunities for incorporating variability in physical oceanography for example to generate testable hypotheses of connectivity can yield powerful insights, though challenges remain on how to reliably quantify relationships between the scale of physical and genetic processes. General principles will be illustrated by reference to a study that employs oceanographic models to predict larval transport around Antarctica in two contrasting species of ice fish.