ABSTRACT.-In March 2012, the authors met at the National Evolutionary Synthesis Center (NESCent) in Durham, North Carolina, USA, to discuss approaches and cooperative ventures in Indo-Pacific phylogeography. The group emerged with a series of findings: (1) Marine population structure is complex, but single locus mtDNA studies continue to provide powerful first assessment of phylogeographic patterns. (2) These patterns gain greater significance/power when resolved in a diversity of taxa. New analytical tools are emerging to address these analyses with multi-taxon approaches. (3) Genome-wide analyses are warranted if selection is indicated by surveys of standard markers. Such indicators can include discordance between genetic loci, or between genetic loci and morphology. Phylogeographic information provides a valuable context for studies of selection and adaptation. (4) Phylogeographic inferences are greatly enhanced by an understanding of the biology and ecology of study organisms. (5) Thorough, range-wide sampling of taxa is the foundation for robust phylogeographic inference. (6) Congruent geographic and taxonomic sampling by the IndoPacific community of scientists would facilitate better comparative analyses. The group concluded that at this stage of technology and software development, judicious rather than wholesale application of genomics appears to be the most robust course for marine phylogeographic studies. Therefore, our group intends to affirm the value of traditional ("unplugged") approaches, such as those based on mtDNA sequencing and microsatellites, along with essential field studies, in an era with increasing emphasis on genomic approaches.
Grow-out culture in sea cages and restocking were undertaken to help rebuild the spawning population of Tripneustes gratilla in Bolinao, Philippines. Higher population densities and incidence of recruits in [2004][2005][2006], as well as steady increase in the catch per unit effort of gatherers, indicate that the sea urchin population is recovering. Growth of reseeded, hatcheryproduced sea urchins in two sites was high and comparable to those in grow-out cages. However, natural mortalities were very high (91-99%). Good growth, high survivorship, and potential reproductive output of sea urchins in grow-out cages, aside from immediate socio-economic benefits, demonstrate that grow-out culture is a cost effective option for reestablishing effective spawning populations. Higher recruitment success in Lucero, compared to other sites, may be attributed to local favorable biophysical conditions and to maintenance of an effective spawning population due to enforcement of marine sanctuary rules, size regulation, and the presence of broodstock cages. Results suggest that the establishment of a network of marine protected areas in tandem with grow-out culture may be strategic in enhancing the recovery of depleted populations by maintaining larval exchange to sustain the productivity of sea urchin fishery stocks along NW Luzon.
A new species of Calcinus is described from western Pacific material, including specimens previously identified as Cal-cinus anani Poupin & McLaughlin, 1998. The new species C. fuscus n. sp. differs from C. anani in the colouration in life,and their specific distinction is genetically supported by the barcoding gene cytochrome oxidase I (COI). The two speciesalso have different geographic distributions, with C. fuscus n. sp. ranging from Japan to the Philippines, Papua New Guin-ea, and New Caledonia, while C. anani is restricted to French Polynesia. Moreover C. fuscus n. sp. is found at shallower depths than its sister species C. anani.
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