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Dispersal of marine larvae and algal spores


Specialized, spore-producing blades of the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera. Photo courtesy of D. Reed.
Propagule dispersal is one of the key processes that links populations in marine systems, and is a major area of inquiry in the discipline (some scientists have even called it “the biggest black box in marine ecology”).  Our group and colleagues are exploring how turbulence and various agents of ocean transport interact to drive meter-to-kilometer-scale dispersal of reproductive propagules in nearshore environments.  For example, we are using physically based models and field experiments to address the consequences of waves and currents for the dispersal of kelp spores.  Our efforts have allowed us to quantify the degree of connectivity among individual forests making up overall population assemblages (“metapopulations”), and have enabled us to develop predictions regarding rates of self fertilization within specific forests.  These findings have important ecological and conservation implications since kelp forests themselves provide habitat and refuge for hundreds of other marine species.  We have also used similar approaches to examine dispersal and its consequences for marine populations more generally.  For instance, we have focused on implications of dispersal for understanding distributional patterns of species across their ranges and consequences of dispersal for proper functioning of marine reserves. 

Selected publications:

Gaylord, B., and S.D. Gaines.  2000.  Temperature or transport? Range limits in marine species mediated solely by flow.  American Naturalist 155: 769-789.

Gaylord, B., D.C. Reed, P.T. Raimondi, L. Washburn, and S.R. McLean.  2002.  A physically based model of macroalgal spore dispersal in the wave and current-dominated nearshore.  Ecology 83: 1239-1251.

Siegel, D.A., B.P. Kinlan, B. Gaylord, and S.D. Gaines.  2003.  Lagrangian descriptions of marine larval dispersion.  Marine Ecology Progress Series 260: 83-96.

Gaines, S.D., B. Gaylord, and J.L. Largier.  2003.  Avoiding current oversights in marine reserve design.  Ecological Applications 13: S32-S46 (Special Issue on Marine Reserves).

Gaylord, B., D.C. Reed, L. Washburn, and P.T. Raimondi.  2004.  Physical-biological coupling in spore dispersal of kelp forest macroalgae.  Journal of Marine Systems 49: 19-39.

Raimondi, P.T., D.C. Reed, B. Gaylord, and L. Washburn.  2004.  Effects of self-fertilization in the giant kelp, Macrocystis pyrifera.  Ecology 85: 3267-3276.

Gaylord, B., S.D. Gaines, D.A. Siegel, and M.H. Carr.  2005.  Marine reserves can exploit life history and population structure to potentially increase fisheries yields.  Ecological Applications 15: 2180-2191.

Reed, D.C., B P. Kinlan, P.T. Raimondi, L. Washburn, B. Gaylord, and P. T. Drake. 2006.A metapopulation perspective on patch dynamics and connectivity of giant kelp.  Pages 353- 386 in J.P. Kritzer and P.F. Sale (eds), Marine Metapopulations.  Academic Press, San Diego.

Gaylord, B., D.C. Reed, P.T. Raimondi, and L. Washburn.  2006.  Macroalgal spore dispersal in coastal environments: Mechanistic insights revealed by theory and experiment.  Ecological Monographs 76: 481-502.

Sagarin, R.D., S.D. Gaines, and B. Gaylord.  2006.  Moving beyond the assumptions to understand abundance distributions across the ranges of species.  Trends in Ecology and Evolution 21: 524-530.

Gaylord, B., J. Rosman, D.C. Reed, J.R. Koseff, J. Fram, S. MacIntyre, K. Arkema, C. McDonald, M.A. Brzezinski, J.L. Largier, S.G. Monismith, P.T. Raimondi, and B. Mardian.  2007.  Spatial patterns of flow and their modification within and around a giant kelp forest.  Limnology and Oceanography 52: 1838-1852.

Gaines, S.D., B. Gaylord, L.R. Gerber, A. Hastings, and B. Kinlan.  2007.  Connecting places: The ecological consequences of dispersal in the sea.  Oceanography 20: 90-99.

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