Looking for hotspots of marine metacommunity connectivity: a methodological framework

Abstract

Seascape connectivity critically affects the spatiotemporal dynamics of marine metacommunities. Understanding how connectivity patterns emerge from physically and biologically-mediated interactions is therefore crucial to conserve marine ecosystem functions and biodiversity. Here, we develop a set of biophysical models to explore connectivity in assemblages of species belonging to a typical Mediterranean community (Posidonia oceanica meadows) and characterized by different dispersing traits. We propose a novel methodological framework to synthesize species-specific results into a set of community connectivity metrics and show that spatiotemporal variation in magnitude and direction of the connections, as well as interspecific differences in dispersing traits, are key factors structuring community connectivity. We eventually demonstrate how these metrics can be used to characterize the functional role of each marine area in determining patterns of community connectivity at the basin level and to support marine conservation planning.

Population genomics of an endemic Mediterranean fish: differentiation by fine scale dispersal and adaptation

“…These areas, not included in the present study, have been suggested to be differentiated according to Lagrangian simulations48 and thus future sampling of additional locations in these northern and southern areas would help to clarify how many genetically differentiated groups are within the Adriatic and their connections. A recent study using biophysical modelling on Symphodus ocellatus , a species with similar larval characteristics as S. tinca , suggested a high larval retention and confined dispersal across a narrow geographic range, with occasional and weak connections across the two shores of the Adriatic35. This suggested that high larval retention is in accordance with our results since even using only neutral SNPs we detected north-south dispersal limitations and an east-west barrier for S.tinca within the Adriatic Sea.…”

A population genomics insight by 2b‐RAD reveals populations' uniqueness along the Italian coastline in Leptopsammia pruvoti (Scleractinia, Dendrophylliidae)

“…Other aspects that can further shape the structure of the different species are the distribution and the fragmentation of suitable habitats for the different species. For these reasons, species with different life history and ecology should be included into an integrated multispecies approach to implement functional and resilient conservation networks (Melià et al, ; Pascual et al, ).…”

“…Estimating population structure, pattern of connectivity and selfrecruitment in marine populations is essential to study, design and included into an integrated multispecies approach to implement functional and resilient conservation networks (Melià et al, 2016;Pascual et al, 2017).…”

“…Connectivity itself, which depends on ocean circulation, life history traits, local population dynamics and spatial distribution of populations (Jonsson & Watson, 2016), is largely determined by specific population processes, and it is often inferred, for single species, at the metapopulation level (Dalongeville, Ideally, the design (location and size) of a robust MPA network should be supported by connectivity estimates for all the species of a given community to identify a consensus network which ensures enough connectivity to multiple species with different life history traits (Costantini, Ferrario, & Abbiati, 2018;Dalongeville et al, 2016;Jonsson & Watson, 2016;Pascual et al, 2017;Shanks, Grantham, & Carr, 2003). Recently, Melià et al (2016) showed a novel methodological framework to synthesize species-specific results into a set of community connectivity metrics and showed that spatiotemporal variation in magnitude and direction of the connections and interspecific differences in dispersing traits are key factors structuring community connectivity. However, these attempts are still confined to few examples given the costs, technical limitations of commonly used methods for connectivity inference, and critical gaps in knowledge.…”

Opportunities for Protecting and Restoring Tropical Coastal Ecosystems by Utilizing a Physical Connectivity Approach

“…The reasons why ecosystem connectivity may not have been central in restoration is the practical challenge of determining the relevant energetic and material inter-connections and their influences (Melia et al, 2016): i.e., what are the fluxes among proximal ecosystems, what determines variation in their magnitude and their effects, and how do you measure them? Research in tropical coastal seascapes has revealed ecosystem engineering species within some ecosystems (i.e., species that physically modify the abiotic environment Jones et al, 1994) can significantly reduce wave energy from the ocean to the land and reduce nutrient and sediment fluxes from the land to the ocean (Gillis et al, 2014a;Saunders et al, 2014;Koppel et al, 2015;Guannel et al, 2016).…”