Population connectivity WG Lead: Anna Metaxas, Dalhousie University, Canada. Email: metaxas.dal.ca
Current WG3 Participants:
Please contact Anna Metaxas if you are interested in becoming an ACTIVE member of this WG.
MAIN ACTIVITIES AND RESULTS
Global analysis of recruitment in the deep sea
During a meeting in Southampton in July 2011, WG3 designed a settlement frame with 4 different substrates (wood, plastic, scrubbies and carbonate) to be deployed on oil rigs in different ocean basins in collaboration with SERPENT and Transocean. Two prototype frames with recruitment panels were successfully deployed on 24 Mar 2012 on the Paul B Loyd Jr rig in the Clair Field, West of Shetland at 150 m depth. The deployment was successful as evidenced in pictures taken by the ROV at that time. The frames were recovered in December 2012 and all substrates were covered with fauna (see image below). We are currently in discussions with Transocean to determine the potential deployment locations of another 20 frames (already constructed). In addition, we have been targeting research projects to deploy frames in regions where auxiliary information on the environmental characteristics and biological communities is available. We have deployed a pair of frames on each of two landers at the bottom of Baltimore Canyon (NW Atlantic) at 617 and 1340 m depth (in collaboration with Drs. Sandra Brooke and Steve Ross) - see photo below. Further deployments include: Norwegian Fjords at 1000 m depth (in collaboration with Dr. Andrew Sweetman), the Barbados accretionary prism and Blake Plateau at ~1500 m depth (in collaboration with Dr. Craig Young), Barkley Canyon at 900 m (NEPTUNE Canada) and the Cayman Trough at 2300 and 5000 m (in collaboration with Dr. Jon Copley). We have secured funds for a training workshop on identification (morphological and molecular) of recruits in summer 2013 to be attended by individuals that will process the samples from the frames.
Article on population connectivity and design of MPAs in the deep sea
Dr. Amy Baco-Taylor has taken the lead in coordinating this effort. The article consists of three components: (1) estimating dispersal of deep sea organisms using genetic markers (led by Baco-Taylor); (2) integrating current knowledge on empirical or modelled measures of intra-generational dispersal (led by Ana Hilario); (3) estimating dispersal using hydrodynamics and estimates of planktonic larval duration (led by Andreas Thurnherr). Component (1) is well underway, and components (2) and (3) have been initiated. There will be 3 presentations based on results from each component at the 13thDSBS.
