Metapopulation dynamics, spatial occupation and migration of the commercial importance bivalves: the case of the clam Tawera gayi (Bivalvia: Veneridae) from the Chiloé inner sea
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Figueroa-Fábrega, L., Bravo-Samaha, J., Silva-Haun, R., & Padilla, T. (2018). Metapopulation dynamics, spatial occupation and migration of the commercial importance bivalves: the case of the clam Tawera gayi (Bivalvia: Veneridae) from the Chiloé inner sea. Anales Del Instituto De La Patagonia, 46(1), 7–21. Retrieved from https://analesdelinstitutodelapatagonia.cl/article/view/833

Abstract

Tawera gayi (Hupe, 1854), is a bivalve mollusk commonly known as Juliana, whose commercial extraction in Chile is concentrated both in the northern area of the Chiloé inner sea and in the vicinity of the Desertores Islands. According to fishery statistics, landings have progressively decreased in recent times, for which reasons have been raised related to the market and the overexploitation of the resource and the non-inclusion of the spatial connectivity of the various local patches in fisheries management. For this reason, the study of the metapopulation dynamics (ie the temporal variation of the occupation of the patches), can be a useful tool to understand species that seem to have a high spatial connectivity. In the present work simulations were carried out for two scenarios described in the area to answer a series of questions related to the spatial connectivity between patches, the effects of the decrease of patches for connectivity and the degree of incidence of some local population in the Chiloé inner sea. The results indicate that, by reducing the availability of larvae due to loss of the reproductive fraction, the probability of colonization is reduced, also affecting the probability of dispersion and the incidence among patches. This is summarized in a change in the dynamics of the metapopulation. In a temporal perspective, it was found that the population of Juliana went from having a high connectivity among the banks to a condition of self-recruitment of some larger patches, as seen in other clams of commercial importance. Therefore, it is essential to consider the spatial connectivity in fisheries management, considering also the synergistic effects that the extraction of species of commercial interest can generate in the marine ecosystems of the Chiloé inner sea.

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This work is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0

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