LEVIN, Lisa A.; Scripps Institution of Oceanography: Recent Progress in Understanding Larval Dispersal: New Directions and Digressions

Many questions about larvae have been difficult to address because their small size limits our ability to know who they are, where they go and what conditions they experience. The longstanding desire to understand the identity, behavior and dynamics of invertebrate larvae in the plankton has had a recent boost from both technological advances and from the integration of disciplines and approaches. In this presentation I will discuss progress that has been made in (a) visualization, identification and quantification of larvae, (b) methods for tracking larvae in the water column, (c) understanding how larval behavior interacts with ocean physics and benthic boundary processes, (d) evaluating sources and rates of mortality, (e) assessing the origins of new recruits, and (f) modeling consequences for population dynamics. I will highlight how recent progress using molecular, isotopic and microchemistry methods has generated paradigm shifts, including ideas about self recruitment and population connectivity, and the role of climate change as a forcing agent. Finally, potential frontiers in the study of larval dispersal and new questions for the future will be presented.