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Escaping Paradise: Larval Export From Hawaii In An Indo-Pacific Reef Fish, The Yellow Tang Zebrasoma Flavescens, Jeff A. Eble, Robert J. Toonen, Laurie Sorenson, Larry V. Basch

VIMS Articles

The depauperate marine ecosystems of the Hawaiian Archipelago share a high proportion of species with the southern and western Pacific, indicating historical and/or ongoing connections across the large oceanic expanse separating Hawaii from its nearest neighbors. The rate and direction of these interactions are, however, unknown. While previous biogeographic studies have consistently described Hawaii as a diversity sink, prevailing currents likely offer opportunities for larval export. To assess interactions between the remote reefs of the Hawaiian Archipelago and the species-rich communities of the Central and West Pacific, we surveyed 14 nuclear microsatellite loci (nDNA, n = 857) and a 614 …