Larval transport pathways from Cuban snapper (Lutjanidae) spawning aggregations based on biophysical modeling

Abstract

The potential linkages among Cuba and geographically associated northwestern Caribbean locations were examined through simulated transport of snapper larvae for 5 harvested snapper species. The analyses are based on a coupled biophysical model incorporating realistic, intra-annual varying currents from a single year (1984), a Lagrangian stochastic scheme, and larval behaviors to find settlement habitat. Sequential runs centered on peak spawning months and lunar phases estimated the degree to which each spawning event contributes larvae to distant populations or to neighboring populations on the complex Cuban shelf. Results suggest that considerable levels of self-recruitment (ca. 37 to 80% total recruitment) structure Cuban snapper populations, in particular, those from the southern and north-central regions. The northern snapper populations exported larvae to the southern Bahamas, specifically to Cay Sal Bank (ca. 11 to 28% total recruitment), while, for more distant locations, the import of larvae from Cuba was negligible depending on the species. Regional oceanographic regimes for cubera, dog and gray snappers and site utilization (e.g. shelf geomorphology) for mutton snapper caused most within-species recruitment variability. However, a small lag in peak spawning times contributed significantly to high recruitment variability among species. Active virtual larvae stand a better chance of reaching settlement habitat, whereas spatial distribution of recruitment is similar but less structured (i.e. homogeneous low abundance) for passive larvae. This modeling approach produces spatio-temporal predictions of larval pathways with explicit measures of variance. Further, it allows for the quantification of relative levels of connectivity, a component needed in the design of marine reserve networks.

Population genetic structure, coloration, and morphometrics of yellowhead jawfish Opistognathus aurifrons (Perciformes: Opistognathidae) in the Caribbean region

“…A second genetic break was observed between South Florida and the 3 remaining sites. Although it has been suggested that the Gulf Stream may form a barrier for larval transport across the Straits of Florida, this is not always the case (Paris et al 2005, Rocha et al 2005, in particular with haplotype 39 located outside the South Florida branch. Nonetheless, genetic subdivision across the Straits of Florida has been noted in slippery dick Halichoeres bivittatus and has been attributed to ecological partitioning into subtropical (Florida) and tropical (Bahamas) habitats (Rocha et al 2005), and provides an alternate scenario for the divergence of Opistognathus aurifrons across South Florida and Bimini.…”

Trophic cascade facilitates coral recruitment in a marine reserve

“…Coupled biophysical models rich in mechanistic details have become the most efficient tools in larval transport studies (45). A spatially explicit 3D individual-based model developed by Paris et al (46,47) and adapted for the wider Caribbean (26) was used to model spatial patterns of larval supply for a typical genus of brooding coral (Agaricia) and the dominant parrotfish species, S. viride. An ocean circulation module uses daily outputs of the high-resolution (6-7 km) Atlantic HYbrid Coordinates Ocean Model forced by real daily winds to represent present-day oceanographic conditions.…”

Larval Transport and Dispersal in the Coastal Ocean and Consequences for Population Connectivity

“…Pachygrapsus crabs (Hiatt, 1948) (Hare et al, 1999;Paris et al, 2005). How larvae transverse these last 10 km is unknown largely because of the exclusion of smaller-scale processes in models and the inability to include realistic behaviors (see above).…”