Pacific connectivity 2 of 2 2023

Larval dispersal capacity and realized connectivity: integration of physical transport models, larval plasticity, and gene flow in the north central Pacific The central goal of this project is to understand rates and patterns of long-distance connectivity between the Hawaiian archipelago and other remote island chains of the tropical north central Pacific. Specifically, the investigators are integrating empirically-derived data on larval life histories, biophysical transport models, and population genetic inferences about gene flow to understand how patterns of dispersal and connectivity in marine systems are affected by the capacity of larvae of many species to prolong development and delay metamorphosis. They are measuring planktonic larval duration under environmentally relevant conditions to test the capacity of larvae to extend development in the dispersal pathways leading to and from the Hawaiian Islands. Results from these laboratory experiments, as well as water-column data gathered over the past two decades, will be used in larval transport models that incorporate estimates of temperature, food availability, and varying life-history traits. Population genomic data gathered from the same species in the field will assess the role of gene flow in shaping genomic structure between Hawai'i and other isolated archipelagos and islands in the region, identify larval dispersal pathways to and from Hawai'i, test contrasting historical models of gene flow, and estimate rates of larval dispersal in and out of Hawai'i.