reef with sponge, coral, fish

Seascape genetics – a look at the field after ten years

As humans continue to alter natural systems, researchers strive to document the many factors that shape these systems, and as the ability to study the genetic drivers of these processes increase, the importance of these drivers becomes increasingly apparent. Understanding such genetic patterns in marine systems is more challenging than in terrestrial systems, due to limited knowledge and the complex dispersal process of marine organisms.

The field of seascape genetics aims to overcome this challenge to determine how variation in structural and environmental factors of a habitat influence the genetic patterns of marine organisms and this young field is growing quickly due to increase in GIS data and advances in statistical methods. In a study recently published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series, a team of researchers including MSC Postdoctoral Researcher Jonathan Puritz provide an overview and analysis of seascape genetics publications and share some of the findings that can lead to better informed conservation and management decisions.

Puritz and colleagues analyzed selections from 100 seascape genetics studies from 2006 to 2015, assessing their taxonomic and geographic coverage and study designs, and providing insight on the history and evolving focus and methods of the field. The researchers additionally highlight several examples of how seascape genetics research will be useful for making marine management decisions such as assigning marine reserves, managing fisheries, and determining the impacts of anthropogenic stressors on marine ecosystems, since the work can help identify the link between physical factors and the persistence and adaptation of populations.