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1. Genomic islands of divergence infer a phenotypic landscape in Pacific lamprey

   https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.15605  

   Hess, JE; Smith, JJ; Timoshevskaya, N; Baker, C; Caudill, C; Graves, D; Keefer, M; Kinziger, A; Moser, M; Porter, L; et al (October 2020, Molecular ecology)

   null (Ed.)

   High rates of dispersal can breakdown coadapted gene complexes. However, concentrated genomic architecture (i.e., genomic islands of divergence) can suppress recombination to allow evolution of local adaptations despite high gene flow. Pacific lamprey (Entosphenus tridentatus) is a highly dispersive anadromous fish. Observed trait diversity and evidence for genetic basis of traits suggests it may be locally adapted. We addressed whether concentrated genomic architecture could influence local adaptation for Pacific lamprey. Using two new whole genome assemblies and genotypes from 7,716 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) loci in 518 individuals from across the species range, we identified four genomic islands of divergence (on chromosomes 01, 02, 04, and 22). We determined robust phenotype-by-genotype relationships by testing multiple traits across geographic sites. These trait associations probably explain genomic divergence across the species’ range. We genotyped a subset of 302 broadly distributed SNPs in 2,145 individuals for association testing for adult body size, sexual maturity, migration distance and timing, adult swimming ability, and larval growth. Body size traits were strongly associated with SNPs on chromosomes 02 and 04. Moderate associations also implicated SNPs on chromosome 01 as being associated with variation in female maturity. Finally, we used candidate SNPs to extrapolate a heterogeneous spatiotemporal distribution of these predicted phenotypes based on independent data sets of larval and adult collections. These maturity and body size results guide future elucidation of factors driving regional optimization of these traits for fitness. Pacific lamprey is culturally important and imperiled. This research addresses biological uncertainties that challenge restoration efforts. 

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2. Testing the Ontogenetic Migration Hypothesis in the emerging Rhode Island Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) fishery using stable isotope analysis

   Agvent, Lindsay; Truesdale, Corinne; Piccone, Sofia; McMahon, Kelton W (February 2024, Ocean Sciences Meeting)

   In southern New England, rapid ocean warming over the past two decades has caused substantial redistributions of fishes, invertebrates, and the fisheries they support. The rapid emergence of the warm water-tolerant Jonah crab (Cancer borealis) fishery, once discarded as bycatch from the now declining lobster fishery, illustrates a prime example of climate-adaptive shifts in southern New England fisheries. However, limited data exist on the basic life history of Jonah crabs, despite their growing economic and societal value. This hinders ocean management capacity to meet multiple ecological, economic, and socio-cultural goals of sustainable harvest. Off the southern coast of Rhode Island, Jonah crabs are currently harvested in two fishery zones (inshore and offshore) delineated as holdovers from the lobster management zones. Jonah crabs landed in the offshore fishing zone are significantly larger, on average, than those landed in the inshore fishing zone. This presentation gives an overview of a study developed to test the hypothesis that these size differences reflect ontogenetic migration of Jonah crabs from the inshore to offshore fishing zones. To do this, we developed seasonally resolved isoscapes (isotope maps) of the region, which revealed distinct geospatial gradients in environmental stable isotope values between inshore and offshore necessary to track potential movement of Jonah crabs between fishing zones. We then used stable isotope analysis of three Jonah crab tissues with differential metabolic turnover times: the carapace (reflecting residence one year ago), muscle (reflecting residence averaged over the last ~4 months), and hepatopancreas (reflecting residence averaged over the last ~4 weeks) to construct an “isotopic clock” of residence throughout the regional isoscapes. This work provides key data on critical life history characteristics of the Jonah crab through a collaborative effort by scientists at the University of Rhode Island and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management to inform management decisions on this emerging climate-adaptive fishery. 

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3. Juvenile social dynamics reflect adult reproductive strategies in bottlenose dolphins

   https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/araa068  

   Galezo, Allison A; Foroughirad, Vivienne; Krzyszczyk, Ewa; Frère, Céline H; Mann, Janet (July 2020, Behavioral Ecology)

   Taborsky, Michael (Ed.)

   Abstract The juvenile period is a challenging life-history stage, especially in species with a high degree of fission–fusion dynamics, such as bottlenose dolphins, where maternal protection is virtually absent. Here, we examined how juvenile male and female bottlenose dolphins navigate this vulnerable period. Specifically, we examined their grouping patterns, activity budget, network dynamics, and social associations in the absence of adults. We found that juveniles live in highly dynamic groups, with group composition changing every 10 min on average. Groups were generally segregated by sex, and segregation was driven by same-sex preference rather than opposite-sex avoidance. Juveniles formed strong associations with select individuals, especially kin and same-sex partners, and both sexes formed cliques with their preferred partners. Sex-specific strategies in the juvenile period reflected adult reproductive strategies, in which the exploration of potential social partners may be more important for males (which form long-term alliances in adulthood) than females (which preferentially associate with kin in adulthood). Females spent more time alone and were more focused on foraging than males, but still formed close same-sex associations, especially with kin. Males cast a wider social net than females, with strong same-sex associations and many male associates. Males engaged in more affiliative behavior than females. These results are consistent with the social bonds and skills hypothesis and suggest that delayed sexual maturity in species with relational social complexity may allow individuals to assess potential associates and explore a complex social landscape without the risks associated with sexual maturity (e.g., adult reproductive competition; inbreeding). 

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4. Social-ecological models with social hierarchy and spatial structure applied to small-scale fisheries

   https://doi.org/10.1007/s12080-024-00594-4  

   Wulfing, Sophie; White, Easton R (December 2024, Theoretical Ecology)

   Socio-ecological models combine ecological systems with human social dynamics in order to better understand human interactions with the environment. To model human behavior, replicator dynamics can be used to model how societal influence and financial costs can change opinions about resource extraction. Previous research on replicator dynamics has shown how evolving opinions on conservation can change how humans interact with their environment and therefore change population dynamics of the harvested species. However, social-ecological models often assume that human societies are homogeneous with no social structure. Building on previous work on social-ecological models, we develop a two-patch socio-ecological model with social hierarchy in order to study the interactions between spatial dynamics and social inequity. We found that fish movement between patches is a major driver of model dynamics, especially when the two patches exhibit different social equality and fishing practices. Further, we found that the societal influence between groups of harvesters was essential to ensuring stable fishery dynamics. Next, we developed a case study of two independently managed fisheries that were connected by fish movement where one human group fishes sustainably while another was over-harvests, resulting in a fishery collapse of both patches. We also found that because in this model, the influence of one human patch on another only communicates the amount of each catch and no fishing strategies were employed, increased social influence decreased the sustainability of the fishery. The findings of this study indicate the importance of including spatial components to socio- ecological models and highlights the importance of understanding species’ movements when making conservation decisions. Further, we demonstrate how incorporating fishing methods from outside sources can result in higher stability of the harvested population, demonstrating the need for effective communication across management regimes. 

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5. Evidence that spillover from Marine Protected Areas benefits the spiny lobster (Panulirus interruptus) fishery in southern California

   https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82371-5  

   Lenihan, Hunter S.; Gallagher, Jordan P.; Peters, Joseph R.; Stier, Adrian C.; Hofmeister, Jennifer K.; Reed, Daniel C. (December 2021, Scientific Reports)

   Abstract Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are designed to enhance biodiversity and ecosystem services. Some MPAs are also established to benefit fisheries through increased egg and larval production, or the spillover of mobile juveniles and adults. Whether spillover influences fishery landings depend on the population status and movement patterns of target species both inside and outside of MPAs, as well as the status of the fishery and behavior of the fleet. We tested whether an increase in the lobster population inside two newly established MPAs influenced local catch, fishing effort, and catch-per-unit-effort (CPUE) within the sustainable California spiny lobster fishery. We found greater build-up of lobsters within MPAs relative to unprotected areas, and greater increases in fishing effort and total lobster catch, but not CPUE, in fishing zones containing MPAs vs. those without MPAs. Our results show that a 35% reduction in fishing area resulting from MPA designation was compensated for by a 225% increase in total catch after 6-years, thus indicating at a local scale that the trade-off of fishing ground for no-fishing zones benefitted the fishery. 

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