SALE, PF; University of Windsor, Ontario: Connectivity and Structure of Reef Fish Communities

While descriptive data can suggest that the diverse communities of fish on coral reefs are closely co-evolved, equilibrial assemblages of species, these are highly dynamic, non-equilibrial assemblages with structure driven more by patterns of recruitment of individual species, than by patterns of resource allocation among differently adapted phenotypes. As a consequence, local assemblages differ in structure, and structure wanders through time. Individual fish are confronted by different mixes of species in different times and places. The recruitment process that drives these dynamics is complex, being driven by several mechanisms, and local populations receive some portion of their recruitment from distant sources. Information on this connectivity among local populations is critically important for management which is based increasingly on use of marine protected areas (no-take zones) both to conserve, and to provide sustainable fisheries. At present, however, we do not know the spatial scale or the extent of this connectivity, and this critical knowledge gap impedes both management, and fundamental understanding. I will outline, and present preliminary results from ECONAR, a regional scale, multi-disciplinary project to delineate the scale and extent of this connectivity.