Isolation-by-distance and isolation-by-oceanography in Maroon Anemonefish ().

Obtaining dispersal estimates for a species is key to understanding local adaptation and population dynamics and to implementing conservation actions. Genetic isolation-by-distance (IBD) patterns can be used for estimating dispersal, and these patterns are especially useful for marine species in which few other methods are available. In this study, we genotyped coral reef fish () at 16 microsatellite loci across eight sites across 210 km in the central Philippines to generate fine-scale estimates of dispersal.

Human-induced ecological cascades: Extinction, restoration, and rewilding in the Galápagos highlands.

Oceanic islands support unique biotas but often lack ecological redundancy, so that the removal of a species can have a large effect on the ecosystem. The larger islands of the Galápagos Archipelago once had one or two species of giant tortoise that were the dominant herbivore. Using paleoecological techniques, we investigate the ecological cascade on highland ecosystems that resulted from whalers removing many thousands of tortoises from the lowlands.

Extreme temperature events will drive coral decline in the Coral Triangle.

In light of rapid environmental change, quantifying the contribution of regional- and local-scale drivers of coral persistence is necessary to characterize fully the resilience of coral reef systems. To assess multiscale responses to thermal perturbation of corals in the Coral Triangle (CT), we developed a spatially explicit metacommunity model with coral-algal competition, including seasonal larval dispersal and external spatiotemporal forcing. We tested coral sensitivity in 2,083 reefs across the CT region and surrounding areas under potential future temperature regimes, with and without interannual climate variability, exploring a range of 0.

Spatiotemporal variability in the δO-salinity relationship of seawater across the tropical Pacific Ocean.

The relationship between salinity and the stable oxygen isotope ratio of seawater (δO) is of utmost importance to the quantitative reconstruction of past changes in salinity from δO values of marine carbonates. This relationship is often considered to be uniform across water masses, but the constancy of the δO-salinity relationship across space and time remains uncertain, as δO responds to varying atmospheric vapor sources and pathways, while salinity does not. Here we present new δO-salinity data from sites spanning the tropical Pacific Ocean.

Larval connectivity across temperature gradients and its potential effect on heat tolerance in coral populations.

Coral reefs are increasingly exposed to elevated temperatures that can cause coral bleaching and high levels of mortality of corals and associated organisms. The temperature threshold for coral bleaching depends on the acclimation and adaptation of corals to the local maximum temperature regime. However, because of larval dispersal, coral populations can receive larvae from corals that are adapted to very different temperature regimes.