The Conservation Genetics of Ecologically and Commercially Important CoralReef Species

Abstract

Identifying the extent to which coral reef species are connected by dispersal is afundamental challenge for developing marine conservation strategies. Many coralreef species are relatively sedentary as adults, yet have a pelagic larval phase wherelarvae can potentially be widely dispersed by ocean currents. This thesis focuses onthe role of ocean currents in driving spatially explicit patterns of populationconnectivity among ecologically and commercially important coral reef species bycombining research tools from population genetics, oceanography, and biophysicalmodeling. Despite the substantial differences among the life histories of each coralreef species in this thesis, some similarities in connectivity patterns were foundamong all species. The results of the kinship and genetic outlier analysesconsistently found high levels of connectivity among distant populations separatedby hundreds to thousands of kilometers. Despite the high levels of connectivityamong distant populations, there was substantial variation in geneflow among thepopulations of each species. The findings of this thesis highlight the importance ofinternational cooperation for the sustainable management of ecologically andcommercially important coral reef species in the Caribbean. In conclusion, thefindings of this thesis suggest that marine conservation strategies shouldconservatively plan for uncertainty, particularly since the many of ecological andphysical drivers of connectivity among coral reef species in the Caribbean remainuncertain.

Date of Award	1 Aug 2014
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	The University of Manchester
Supervisor	Richard Preziosi (Supervisor) & Rosaleen Duffy (Supervisor)