Seminar Series 2003

The design of marine parks: new evidence from experimental ecology, theory and genetics.

Stephen R. Palumbi. Dept. Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Hopkins Marine Station, Pacific Grove, CA 93950.

Marine reserves represent an emerging management tool, and are a challenge to the application of basic marine ecology to applied problems. Some aspects of reserve science are extensively researched, such as the impact of reserves on marine communities within their borders. However, new information is badly needed in at least two major areas 1) the impact that reserves have on the ecosystems beyond their borders, and 2) the way we can use complex ecological and environmental information to inform management decisions. Progress in understanding the impact of reserves on communities outside their boundaries comes from studies of movement by adults and juveniles and indirect monitoring of species dispersal though chemical tags and genetic comparisons. New genetic tools allow much higher resolution of dispersal patterns of marine organisms and suggests that dispersal distances may not be as high as previously thought. If confirmed for many species, these dispersal limitations suggest that networks of small reserves may provide a combination of conservation and fisheries benefits.