Files associated with: Species’ attributes predict the relative magnitude of ecological and genetic recovery following mass mortality

Theoretically, species’ characteristics should allow estimation of
dispersal potential and, in turn, explain levels of population genetic
differentiation. However, a mismatch between traits and genetic patterns
is often reported in marine species and interpreted as evidence that
life-history traits do not influence dispersal. Here, we couple ecological
and genomic methods to test the hypothesis that species with attributes
favoring greater dispersal potential — e.g. longer pelagic duration,
higher fecundity, and larger population size — have greater realized
dispersal overall. We used a natural experiment created by a large-scale
and multi-species mortality event which created a ‘clean slate’ on which
to study recruitment dynamics, thus simplifying a usually complex problem.
We surveyed four species of differing dispersal potential to quantify the
abundance and distribution of recruits and to genetically assign these
recruits to likely parental sources. Species with higher dispersal
potential re-colonized a broader extent of the impacted range, did so more
quickly, and recovered more genetic diversity than species with lower
dispersal potential. Moreover, populations of taxa with higher dispersal
potential exhibited more immigration (71–92% of recruits) than taxa with
lower dispersal potential (17–44% of recruits). By linking ecological with
genomic perspectives, we demonstrate that a suite of interacting life
history and demographic attributes do influence species’ realized
dispersal and genetic neighborhoods. To better understand species’
resilience and recovery in this time of global change, integrative
eco-evolutionary approaches are needed to more rigorously evaluate the
effect of dispersal-linked attributes on realized dispersal and population
genetic differentiation.

理论上，物种种群的特征可用于估算其扩散潜力，并进而阐释种群遗传分化水平。但现有研究常在海洋物种中观测到性状与遗传模式不匹配的现象，并将其解读为生活史性状不影响扩散的依据。本研究结合生态学与基因组学方法，检验如下假说：具备更利于提升扩散潜力的属性（如更长的浮游期、更高的繁殖力以及更大的种群规模）的物种，其整体实际扩散能力更强。我们依托一次大规模多物种死亡事件构建的自然实验——该事件创造了一处可供研究种群补充动态的“空白基底”，从而简化了原本极为复杂的研究课题。我们选取四种扩散能力各异的物种开展调查，量化补充个体的丰度与分布，并通过遗传学手段将这些补充个体归属至其潜在的亲本种群来源。相较于扩散能力较低的物种，扩散能力较高的物种能够在受影响区域内更广泛的范围内完成重新定植，且定植速度更快，遗传多样性恢复程度也更高。此外，扩散能力较高的类群其种群迁入率（占补充个体的71%~92%）显著高于扩散能力较低的类群（占补充个体的17%~44%）。通过将生态学视角与基因组学视角相结合，本研究证实，一系列相互作用的生活史与种群统计属性确实会影响物种的实际扩散能力与遗传邻域。在当前全球变化的时代背景下，为更好地理解物种的恢复力与种群恢复过程，亟需采用整合式生态进化研究方法，以更严谨地评估与扩散相关的性状对实际扩散及种群遗传分化的影响。