title: Demographic and genetic connectivity: the role and consequences of reproduction, dispersal and recruitment in seagrasses.
abstract: Accurate estimation of connectivity among populations is fundamental for determining the drivers of population resilience, genetic diversity, adaptation and speciation. However the separation and quantification of contemporary versus historical connectivity remains a major challenge. This review focuses on marine angiosperms, seagrasses, that are fundamental to the health and productivity of temperate and tropical coastal marine environments globally. Our objective is to understand better the role of sexual reproduction and recruitment in influencing demographic and genetic connectivity among seagrass populations through an integrated multidisciplinary assessment of our present ecological, genetic, and demographic understanding, with hydrodynamic modelling of transport. We investigate (i) the demographic consequences of sexual reproduction, dispersal and recruitment in seagrasses, (ii) contemporary transport of seagrass pollen, fruits and seed, and vegetative fragments with a focus on hydrodynamic and particle transport models, and (iii) contemporary genetic connectivity among seagrass meadows as inferred through the application of genetic markers. New approaches are reviewed, followed by a summary outlining future directions for research: integrating seascape genetic approaches; incorporating hydrodynamic modelling for dispersal of pollen, seeds and vegetative fragments; integrating studies across broader geographic ranges; and incorporating non-equilibrium modelling. These approaches will lead to a more integrated understanding of the role of contemporary dispersal and recruitment in the persistence and evolution of seagrasses.
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Gary A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Kendrick
authors.affiliation: Virginia Institute of Marine Science, College of William and Mary, Gloucester Point, VA 23062, U.S.A.
authors.forename: Robert J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Orth
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Statton
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Renae
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hovey
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.
authors.forename: Leonardo
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ruiz Montoya
authors.affiliation: UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|School of Earth and Environment, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, James Cook University Townsville, Queensland 4811, Australia.
authors.forename: Ryan J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Lowe
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|Kings Park and Botanic Garden, West Perth, Western Australia 6005, Australia.
authors.forename: Siegfried L
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Krauss
authors.affiliation: School of Plant Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|UWA Oceans Institute, University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia.|Kings Park and Botanic Garden, West Perth, Western Australia 6005, Australia.
authors.forename: Elizabeth A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Sinclair
mesh_terms: D051456:Gene Flow; D014644:Genetic Variation; D005828:Genetics, Population; D019684:Magnoliopsida / Q000502:physiology*; D012098:Reproduction; D012639:Seeds
keywords: gene flow; ocean transport; pollen dispersal; recruitment; seagrasses; seed dispersal; spatial genetic structure; vegetative fragments