Bimodal spore release heights in the water column enhance local retention and population connectivity of bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana
Abstract Dispersal of reproductive propagules determines recruitment patterns and connectivity among populations and can influence how populations respond to major disturbance events. Dispersal distributions can depend on propagule release strategies. For instance, the bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkea...
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Wiley
2024-08-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70177 |
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| author | Nicholas P. Burnett Aurora M. Ricart Tallulah Winquist Alisha M. Saley Matthew S. Edwards Brent Hughes Jason Hodin Marissa L. Baskett Brian Gaylord |
| author_facet | Nicholas P. Burnett Aurora M. Ricart Tallulah Winquist Alisha M. Saley Matthew S. Edwards Brent Hughes Jason Hodin Marissa L. Baskett Brian Gaylord |
| author_sort | Nicholas P. Burnett |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Dispersal of reproductive propagules determines recruitment patterns and connectivity among populations and can influence how populations respond to major disturbance events. Dispersal distributions can depend on propagule release strategies. For instance, the bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, can release propagules (spores) from two heights in the water column (“bimodal release”): at the water surface, directly from the reproductive tissues (sori) on the kelp's blades, and near the seafloor after the sori abscise and sink through the water column. N. luetkeana is a foundation species that occurs from central California to Alaska and is experiencing unprecedented levels of population declines near its southern range limit. We know little of the kelp's dispersal distributions, which could influence population recovery and restoration. Here, we quantify how bimodal spore release heights affect dispersal outcomes based on a numerical model specifically designed for N. luetkeana. The model incorporates oceanographic conditions typical of the species' coastal range and kelp biological traits. With bimodal release heights, 34% of spores are predicted to settle within 10 m of the parental alga and 60% are predicted to disperse beyond 100 m. As an annual species, bimodal release heights can facilitate the local regeneration of adults within a source kelp forest while also supporting connectivity among multiple forests within broader bull kelp metapopulations. To leverage this pattern of bimodal spore dispersal in bull kelp restoration management, directing resources toward strategically located focal populations that can seed other ones could amplify the scale of recovery. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-3238ce3e06244880a0e7fb8698304f54 |
| institution | OA Journals |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2024-08-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj-art-3238ce3e06244880a0e7fb8698304f542025-08-20T01:55:49ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582024-08-01148n/an/a10.1002/ece3.70177Bimodal spore release heights in the water column enhance local retention and population connectivity of bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeanaNicholas P. Burnett0Aurora M. Ricart1Tallulah Winquist2Alisha M. Saley3Matthew S. Edwards4Brent Hughes5Jason Hodin6Marissa L. Baskett7Brian Gaylord8Department of Evolution and Ecology University of California, Davis Davis California USABodega Marine Laboratory Bodega Bay California USADepartment of Evolution and Ecology University of California, Davis Davis California USADepartment of Evolution and Ecology University of California, Davis Davis California USADepartment of Biology San Diego State University San Diego California USADepartment of Biology Sonoma State University Rohnert Park California USAFriday Harbor Labs University of Washington Friday Harbor Washington USADeparment of Environmental Science and Policy University of California, Davis Davis California USADepartment of Evolution and Ecology University of California, Davis Davis California USAAbstract Dispersal of reproductive propagules determines recruitment patterns and connectivity among populations and can influence how populations respond to major disturbance events. Dispersal distributions can depend on propagule release strategies. For instance, the bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana, can release propagules (spores) from two heights in the water column (“bimodal release”): at the water surface, directly from the reproductive tissues (sori) on the kelp's blades, and near the seafloor after the sori abscise and sink through the water column. N. luetkeana is a foundation species that occurs from central California to Alaska and is experiencing unprecedented levels of population declines near its southern range limit. We know little of the kelp's dispersal distributions, which could influence population recovery and restoration. Here, we quantify how bimodal spore release heights affect dispersal outcomes based on a numerical model specifically designed for N. luetkeana. The model incorporates oceanographic conditions typical of the species' coastal range and kelp biological traits. With bimodal release heights, 34% of spores are predicted to settle within 10 m of the parental alga and 60% are predicted to disperse beyond 100 m. As an annual species, bimodal release heights can facilitate the local regeneration of adults within a source kelp forest while also supporting connectivity among multiple forests within broader bull kelp metapopulations. To leverage this pattern of bimodal spore dispersal in bull kelp restoration management, directing resources toward strategically located focal populations that can seed other ones could amplify the scale of recovery.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70177bet‐hedgingconservationdispersalmacroalgaepropagules |
| spellingShingle | Nicholas P. Burnett Aurora M. Ricart Tallulah Winquist Alisha M. Saley Matthew S. Edwards Brent Hughes Jason Hodin Marissa L. Baskett Brian Gaylord Bimodal spore release heights in the water column enhance local retention and population connectivity of bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana Ecology and Evolution bet‐hedging conservation dispersal macroalgae propagules |
| title | Bimodal spore release heights in the water column enhance local retention and population connectivity of bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana |
| title_full | Bimodal spore release heights in the water column enhance local retention and population connectivity of bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana |
| title_fullStr | Bimodal spore release heights in the water column enhance local retention and population connectivity of bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana |
| title_full_unstemmed | Bimodal spore release heights in the water column enhance local retention and population connectivity of bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana |
| title_short | Bimodal spore release heights in the water column enhance local retention and population connectivity of bull kelp, Nereocystis luetkeana |
| title_sort | bimodal spore release heights in the water column enhance local retention and population connectivity of bull kelp nereocystis luetkeana |
| topic | bet‐hedging conservation dispersal macroalgae propagules |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.70177 |
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