Insights from genetic and demographic connectivity for the management of rays and skates

• Published in: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences
• Main Authors: Marandel, Florianne, Lorance, Pascal, Andrello, Marco, Charrier, Grégory, Le Cam, Sabrina, Lehuta, Sigrid, Trenkel, Verena M.
• Other Authors: Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER), École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL), Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive (CEFE), Université Paul-Valéry - Montpellier 3 (UPVM)-Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA)-Centre international d'études supérieures en sciences agronomiques (Montpellier SupAgro)-École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE), Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université Paris Sciences et Lettres (PSL)-Université de Montpellier (UM)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD France-Sud )-Institut national d’études supérieures agronomiques de Montpellier (Montpellier SupAgro), Laboratoire des Sciences de l'Environnement Marin (LEMAR) (LEMAR), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Institut Universitaire Européen de la Mer (IUEM), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut national des sciences de l'Univers (INSU - CNRS)-Université de Brest (UBO)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS), Unité Santé, Génétique et Microbiologie des Mollusques (SGMM), ANR-14-CE02-0006,GenoPopTaille,Estimation de la taille absolue de population marines en danger par identification génétique des paires parent-descendant(2014)
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: HAL CCSD 2018
• Subjects: ACL; population-structure; conservation; marine fish; phylogeography; chondrichthyes; raja-clavata; rajidae; seasonal migration; southern north-sea; thornback ray; [SDE.BE]Environmental Sciences/Biodiversity and Ecology; [SDV.GEN.GPO]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics/Populations and Evolution [q-bio.PE]; [SDV.GEN.GA]Life Sciences [q-bio]/Genetics/Animal genetics; Northeast Atlantic
• Online Access: https://hal.science/hal-02635030; https://hal.science/hal-02635030/document; https://hal.science/hal-02635030/file/Marendel_etal_CJFAS_2018.pdf; https://doi.org/10.1139/cjfas-2017-0291

WOS:000439863600009 International audience Studying demographic and genetic connectivity can help assess marine metapopulation structure. Rays and skates have no larval phase; hence, population connectivity can only result from active movement of individuals. Using thornback ray (Raja clavata) in European waters as a case study, demographic and genetic connectivity were studied for 11 putative populations with unequal population abundances and two hypotheses of dispersal rates. Genetic simulation results highlighted three large metapopulations: in the Mediterranean, around the Azores, and on the Northeast Atlantic shelf. Demographic results highlighted a finer population structure indicating that several pairs of putative populations might be demographically linked. Results were highly sensitive to dispersal assumptions and relative population abundances, which provided insights into the potential magnitude of genetic and demographic connectivity differences. Accounting for demographic connectivity appears to be crucial for managing and conserving rays and skates, while genetic connectivity provides a longer-term perspective and less subtle spatial structures. Moreover, accounting for heterogeneity in population abundances is a key factor for determining or interpreting metapopulation connectivity.