This work-package is leaded by Anne Chenuil (IMBE, CNRS researcher)
It is important to compare potential connectivity with realized connectivity. Realized connectivity has passed the filter of natural selection: the dispersing individual must survive its journey, and survive in the environment of its destination. This WP aims at characterizing the realized connectivity among all our study sites for 5 benthic species of hard bottoms. Ideally, the chosen species should display distinct dispersal ability, in order to represent the variety of situations encompassed by species of the community: some have sessile adults and no, or short, larval phases, and some have poorly mobile adults and highly mobile larvae. This will be achieved by population genetics studies. Development of genetic markers will be done when necessary: transcriptome sequences from 6-10 individuals will reveal Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (SNPs). Then, 100 SNPS per individual will be genotyped in hundreds of individuals.
The candidate model species are Anomia ephippium (bivalve), Reteporella grimaldii/ mediterranea (bryozoan), Galathea strigosa (crustacean), Eunicella singularis (gorgonian) and other metazoans (Halocynthia papillosa, Spirobranchus triqueter, Paracentrotus lividus, …).