New frontiers in marine movement ecology

Dr Pablo Munguia from the University of Adelaide was one of three researchers involved in a paper entitled 'Frontiers in marine movement ecology: mechanisms and consequences of migration and dispersal in marine habitats,' published in Biology Letters. The paper explores the state of 'marine movement ecology' from small invertebrates to the largest fish, inhabiting benthic and pelagic realms.

Most marine species inhabit a world where populations are connected to one another through the migration and dispersal of individuals at particular life-history stages. Recent research, both theoretical and empirical, on connectivity of metapopulations has challenged the established paradigm that marine populations are largely 'open,' leading to growing recognition that self-recruitment may be common, providing new insights into the evolutionary consequences of living in a patchy world and the design of marine protected areas.

Read the full article.

Image sourced: oceansinc.org