Hobart

Seminar Abstract

Friday 2 October, 11.30am (Tas time)
CSIRO Auditorium, Hobart

Fred Allendorf
Regents Professor
The University of Montana
Missoula, Montana

How can we use genetics to assess population connectivity for management and conservation?

Dispersal is a fundamental demographic and evolutionary process. Genetic data are often used to assess “population connectivity” because it is difficult to measure dispersal directly. Genetic connectivity depends primarily on the absolute number of dispersers among local populations, whereas demographic connectivity depends primarily on the proportional contribution of immigrants to local populations. In general, demographic connectivity depends on the relative contributions to population growth rates of dispersal vs. local recruitment (i.e., survival and reproduction of residents. In contrast to an emphasis on the effects of dispersal on population growth, previous genetic definitions of demographic connectivity have tended to emphasize the co-occurrence of dispersers and residents, and thus promote misconceptions of the utility of genetic methods for assessing demographic connectivity. I will describe alternative approaches for assessing population connectivity, highlighting the value of combining genetic and capture-mark-recapture methods to elucidate the complex role of dispersal for management and conservation.

Seminar recording

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Location:
CSIRO = Marine Laboratories Auditorium, Castray Esplanade, Hobart

For further information, or to schedule a seminar, contact:
To schedule a seminar, contact:
Clothilde Langlais, (Oceanographic seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5399
Natalie Kelly, (Biology/Modelling seminars) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research 0438 452 483
Jillian Enraght-Moony, (seminar administrator) CSIRO Marine and Atmospheric Research (03) 6232 5320
Communications Manager, Antarctic Climate and Ecosystems CRC (03) 6226 2265
Margaret Hazelwood, Institute of Antarctic and Southern Ocean Studies (IASOS) University of Tasmania (03) 6226 2971

Last updated 13/10/09