Spatially heterogeneous, synchronous settlement of Chthamalus spp. larvae in northern Baja California

Author Posting. © Inter-Research, 2005. This article is posted here by permission of Inter-Research for personal use, not for redistribution. The definitive version was published in Marine Ecology Progress Series 302 (2005): 177-185, doi:10.3354/meps302177.We evaluated the spatial variability in barnacle settlement at scales of 10s to 100s of meters (among-sites: 300 m; within-site: 30 m) along 1 km of coastline in the Bay of Todos Santos, northern Baja California, Mexico. Settlement of the intertidal barnacles Chthamalus spp. was monitored daily from April 1 to May 10, 2002, and thereafter every other day to September 18, 2002. Concurrently, temperature of the water column was measured every 15 min, and hourly wind speed and direction data were acquired from a nearby site. We identified 12 settlement pulses during our study, with all but 2 pulses showing significant differences in mean settlement at either or both spatial scales. Despite a high variability in numbers, settlement pulses were synchronous between sites. The occurrence of settlement pulses was significantly correlated with a rapid increase in the stratification of nearshore waters, but not correlated with sudden fluctuations in the direction of winds perpendicular to the shore. Sudden changes in the stratification of nearshore waters have been associated with the occurrence of internal tidal bores. Our results suggest that internal motions, more specifically internal tidal bores, could be an important mechanism for the onshore transport of larvae in the Bay of Todos Santos.Research was supported in part by AMELIS Project J37689/V from CONACYT and UC MEXUS grants to L.B.L., F.T. and J.P., and the wind measurements were partially supported by the US National Science Foundation

Appendix B. Statistical tables describing relationships among species from 20 field sites in the Galápagos.

Statistical tables describing relationships among species from 20 field sites in the Galápagos

Vertical distribution of zooplankton biomass during internal tidal forcing under mesoscale conditions of upwelling and relaxation

11 pages, 8 figures, 3 tablesThe vertical distribution and variability of zooplankton biomass were evaluated during a period of internal tides, when mesoscale conditions were changing from upwelling to relaxation. The distribution of zooplankton biomass was estimated using ADCP backscatter by comparing with in situ vertically stratified net hauls. Overall, the greatest concentration of zooplankton biomass occurred in the deeper layers and during the upwelling period. Wavelet spectral analysis confirmed a dominant semidiurnal internal tidal signal in temperature, in currents and in estimated zooplankton biomass at most depths regardless of mesoscale conditions. The semidiurnal signal in biomass was stronger at depth than at the surface. The shoaling and sinking of the thermocline modulated the distribution of zooplankton biomass during the internal tide for both mesoscale periods. During the cold phase of the internal tide, when the thermocline shoaled, zooplankton biomass increased in shallow waters and decreased at depth, with the reverse found during the warm phase, with the depression of the thermocline. However, zooplankton biomass also showed a diurnal signal in surface layers during the upwelling period, which was correlated with the intensity of the wind when the thermocline was shallower. This study showed, in this coastal area, that the distribution of zooplankton biomass was partly modulated by the depth of the thermocline at a semidiurnal frequency due to the internal tide, but was also further affected by upwelling-favorable winds modulating the thermocline depth over longer time scalesWe thank the Interdisciplinary Coastal Ecology (ICE) team at CICESE and all the volunteers on the FLOO (Fluxes Linking the Offshore and the Onshore) projects funded by UC MEXUS-CONACyT (The University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States) and TAMU- CONACyT (joint Texas A and M University and Mexico) projectsgrants. Research was also funded by the projects mentioned above, and grants from the Mexican National Science Foundation (CONACyT), SEP-Conacyt Ciencia Basica 2013-1 Grant # 221662 and SEP-Conacyt Ciencia Basica 2009-1 Grant # 127583127583, all awarded to LBL. LSV also acknowledges the CONACyT Fronteras de la Ciencia grant (contract 2015-2-2802015‐2‐280)) project for supportPeer reviewe

Appendix A. Confirmatory tank predation experiments conducted from July 10–20, 2010, on site at the Charles Darwin Research Station, Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador.

Confirmatory tank predation experiments conducted from July 10–20, 2010, on site at the Charles Darwin Research Station, Isla Santa Cruz, Galápagos Islands, Ecuador

Mates Matter: Gametophyte Kinship Recognition and Inbreeding in the Giant Kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera (Laminariales, Phaeophyceae)

Inbreeding, the mating between genetically related individuals, often results in reduced survival and fecundity of offspring, relative to outcrossing. Yet, high inbreeding rates are commonly observed in seaweeds, suggesting compensatory reproductive traits may affect the costs and benefits of the mating system. We experimentally manipulated inbreeding levels in controlled crossing experiments, using gametophytes from 19 populations of Macrocystis pyrifera along its Eastern Pacific coastal distribution (EPC). The objective was to investigate the effects of male-female kinship on female fecundity and fertility, to estimate inbreeding depression in the F1 progeny, and to assess the variability of these effects among different regions and habitats of the EPC. Results revealed that the presence and kinship of males had a significant effect on fecundity and fertility of female gametophytes. Females left alone or in the presence of sibling males express the highest gametophyte size, number, and size of oogonia, suggesting they were able to sense the presence and the identity of their mates before gamete contact. The opposite trend was observed for the production of embryos per female gametes, indicating higher costs of selfing and parthenogenesis than outcrossing on fertility. However, the increased fecundity compensated for the reduced fertility, leading to a stable overall reproductive output. Inbreeding also affected morphological traits of juvenile sporophytes, but not their heatwave tolerance. The male-female kinship effect was stronger in high-latitude populations, suggesting that females from low-latitude marginal populations might have evolved to mate with any male gamete to guarantee reproductive success.ANID/CONICYT FONDECYT de Iniciacion [11170699]; FONDECYTComision Nacional de Investigacion Cientifica y Tecnologica (CONICYT)CONICYT FONDECYT [1160930]; EU-FP7 MARFOR; CONACYT CCC (The Coastal Complexity Crew) project [CB-2013-1, 221662

Habitat Network_site_centers

Location data for use with the Habitat Network Scrip

Data from: Seascape drivers of Macrocystis pyrifera population genetic structure in the northeast Pacific

At small spatial and temporal scales, genetic differentiation is largely controlled by constraints on gene flow, while genetic diversity across a species' distribution is shaped on longer temporal and spatial scales. We assess the hypothesis that oceanographic transport and other seascape features explain different scales of genetic structure of giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera. We followed a hierarchical approach to perform a microsatellite-based analysis of genetic differentiation in Macrocystis across its distribution in the northeast Pacific. We used seascape genetic approaches to identify large-scale biogeographic population clusters and investigate whether they could be explained by oceanographic transport and other environmental drivers. We then modelled population genetic differentiation within clusters as a function of oceanographic transport and other environmental factors. Five geographic clusters were identified: Alaska/Canada, central California, continental Santa Barbara, California Channel Islands and mainland southern California/Baja California peninsula. The strongest break occurred between central and southern California, with mainland Santa Barbara sites forming a transition zone between the two. Breaks between clusters corresponded approximately to previously identified biogeographic breaks, but were not solely explained by oceanographic transport. An isolation-by-environment (IBE) pattern was observed where the northern and southern Channel Islands clustered together, but not with closer mainland sites, despite the greater distance between them. The strongest environmental association with this IBE pattern was observed with light extinction coefficient, which extends suitable habitat to deeper areas. Within clusters, we found support for previous results showing that oceanographic connectivity plays an important role in the population genetic structure of Macrocystis in the Northern hemisphere

Habitat Network_OceanDistanceMatrices

Matrix of ocean transport distances for use with the Habitat Network Scrip