Larval Dispersal Modeling Reveals Low Connectivity among National Marine Protected Areas in the Yellow and East China Seas.

ABSTRACT: Marine protected areas (MPAs) are vital for protecting biodiversity, maintaining ecosystem integrity, and tackling future climate change. The effectiveness of MPA networks relies on connectivity, yet connectivity assessments are often skipped in the planning process. Here we employed a multi-species biophysical model to examine the connectivity patterns formed among the 21 national MPAs in the Yellow and East China Seas. We simulated the potential larval dispersal of 14 oviparous species of five classes. Larvae of non-migratory species with pelagic larval duration (PLD) were assumed to be passive floating particles with no explicit vertical migration. A total of 217,000 particles were released according to spawning period, living depth, and species distribution, and they were assumed to mo

SUBMITTER: Lu J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10044727 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature