title: Local replenishment of coral reef fish populations in a marine reserve.
abstract: The scale of larval dispersal of marine organisms is important for the design of networks of marine protected areas. We examined the fate of coral reef fish larvae produced at a small island reserve, using a mass-marking method based on maternal transmission of stable isotopes to offspring. Approximately 60% of settled juveniles were spawned at the island, for species with both short (<2 weeks) and long (>1 month) pelagic larval durations. If natal homing of larvae is a common life-history strategy, the appropriate spatial scales for the management and conservation of coral reefs are likely to be much smaller than previously assumed.
authors.affiliation: Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies and School of Marine and Tropical Biology, James Cook University, Townsville QLD 4811, Australia. glenn.almany@jcu.edu.au
authors.forename: Glenn R
authors.initials: GR
authors.lastname: Almany
authors.forename: Michael L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Berumen
authors.forename: Simon R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Thorrold
authors.forename: Serge
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Planes
authors.forename: Geoffrey P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Jones
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D037421:Anthozoa; D017609:Barium Compounds; D002712:Chlorides; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources; D017753:Ecosystem; D005260:Female; D005843:Geography; D007554:Isotopes; D007814:Larva / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010140:Pacific Ocean; D010219:Papua New Guinea; D010473:Perciformes / Q000254:growth & development / Q000502:physiology*; D011157:Population Dynamics; D012098:Reproduction
chemical_list: D017609:Barium Compounds; D002712:Chlorides; D007554:Isotopes; C024986:barium chloride