Hi Kerry,

We hope MGET will prove to be useful for your modeling projects!

The connectivity tool models dispersal of planktonic larvae between suitable habitat patches by ocean currents using a 2D advection/diffusion algorithm. It is usually applied to shallow-water organisms that circulate in surface currents. The original study (Treml et al. 2008) applied it to corals. We have since applied it to a variety of fish species (one paper in review, two in prep), and the next version of the tool will be named differently, to reflect that the tool is not taxon-specific.

Whether this could be applied to deep-water corals depends on 1) whether a 2D algorithm would be sufficient for modeling the dispersal of their larvae, and 2) whether sufficiently-accurate 2D ocean currents data could be obtained. I do not know anything about how deep-water larvae disperse. Do they start out as positively buoyant and then eventually sink? Are they neutrally buoyant and carried along at depth?

Jason

Hello,

I have just discovered your excellent MGET package and I am completely astonished. It is fantastic. I am a predictive modeller and this will make my life so much simpler!

I have a question for you on connectivity. We are embarking on a pilot project to look at larval connectivity in the deep-sea and particularly between deep-sea coral reefs (we only have limited funding so it isn’t going to be pretty!). Can I use your tool for this? I couldn’t find a demo of the larval connectivity tool and from the tool headings it looks like it might be specific to shallow water reefs. Can it be used more generally to look at connectivity?

Hope you can help

Many thanks

Kerry