Strong habitat and weak genetic effects shape the lifetime reproductive success in a wild clownfish population.

The relative contributions of environmental, maternal and additive genetic factors to the Lifetime reproductive success (LRS) determine whether species can adapt to rapid environmental change. Yet to date, studies quantifying LRS across multiple generations in marine species in the wild are non-existent. Here we used 10-year pedigrees resolved for a wild orange clownfish population from Kimbe Island (PNG) and a quantitative genetic linear mixed model approach to quantify the additive genetic, maternal and environmental contributions to variation in LRS for the self-recruiting portion of the population.

A guide to using a multiple-matrix animal model to disentangle genetic and nongenetic causes of phenotypic variance.

Non-genetic influences on phenotypic traits can affect our interpretation of genetic variance and the evolutionary potential of populations to respond to selection, with consequences for our ability to predict the outcomes of selection. Long-term population surveys and experiments have shown that quantitative genetic estimates are influenced by nongenetic effects, including shared environmental effects, epigenetic effects, and social interactions. Recent developments to the "animal model" of quantitative genetics can now allow us to calculate precise individual-based measures of non-genetic phenotypic variance.

Marine Dispersal Scales Are Congruent over Evolutionary and Ecological Time.

The degree to which offspring remain near their parents or disperse widely is critical for understanding population dynamics, evolution, and biogeography, and for designing conservation actions. In the ocean, most estimates suggesting short-distance dispersal are based on direct ecological observations of dispersing individuals, while indirect evolutionary estimates often suggest substantially greater homogeneity among populations. Reconciling these two approaches and their seemingly competing perspectives on dispersal has been a major challenge.

First genealogy for a wild marine fish population reveals multigenerational philopatry.

Natal philopatry, the return of individuals to their natal area for reproduction, has advantages and disadvantages for animal populations. Natal philopatry may generate local genetic adaptation, but it may also increase the probability of inbreeding that can compromise persistence. Although natal philopatry is well documented in anadromous fishes, marine fish may also return to their birth site to spawn.

Coral reef fish populations can persist without immigration.

Determining the conditions under which populations may persist requires accurate estimates of demographic parameters, including immigration, local reproductive success, and mortality rates. In marine populations, empirical estimates of these parameters are rare, due at least in part to the pelagic dispersal stage common to most marine organisms. Here, we evaluate population persistence and turnover for a population of orange clownfish, Amphiprion percula, at Kimbe Island in Papua New Guinea.