Extremely stochastic connectivity of island mangroves

Studies of mangrove population connectivity have focused primarily on global to regional scales and have suggested potential for long-distance connectivity, with archipelagos serving as stepping stones for trans-oceanic dispersal. However, the contribution of propagule dispersal to connectivity is still largely unknown, especially at local-scale. Identifying fine-scale propagule dispersal patterns unique to individual island systems is important to understand their contribution to global species distributions, and to select appropriate sizes and locations for mangrove conservation in archipelagos. Using population genetic methods and a release-recapture method employing GPS drifting buoys, we investigated the spatiotemporal scale of propagule dispersal of Rhizophora stylosa, one of the widely distributed mangrove species in the Indo-West Pacific. This study sought to quantify intra- and inter-island connectivity and to assess their contributions to oceanic scale dispersal of R. stylosa ..., ,