Phenotype-environment mismatches reduce connectivity in the sea

Area of Science:

• Marine Biology
• Ecology
• Population Genetics

Background:

• Marine population connectivity is often lower than dispersal models predict.
• Connectivity estimates do not consistently scale with distance and can be counterintuitive.
• Successful population connectivity requires not only dispersal but also establishment and reproduction of new colonists.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate factors beyond simple dispersal that limit marine population connectivity.
• To introduce and define phenotype-environment mismatches as a key barrier to marine connectivity.
• To explain counterintuitive patterns in marine population connectivity.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing literature on marine dispersal and population connectivity.
• Conceptual framework development identifying phenotype-environment mismatches.
• Analysis of how selection pressures influence exogenous colonizer survival.

Main Results:

• Phenotype-environment mismatches, arising from selection against exogenous colonizers in novel environments, significantly impede connectivity.
• These mismatches can operate independently of geographic distance.
• Selection pressures vary at spatial scales smaller than dispersal ranges, leading to biased survival.

Conclusions:

• Phenotype-environment mismatches are a critical, often overlooked, barrier to marine population connectivity.
• Understanding these mismatches is essential for accurate predictions and effective management of marine populations.
• This concept helps explain observed anomalies in marine connectivity patterns.