An evaluation of the preferences of the juvenile swimming crab, Portunus trituberculatus, for different structural properties of shelters

Zhang, Hanzun; Zhu, Boshan; Lu, Yunliang; Yu, Liye; Wang, Fang; Liu, Dapeng

doi:10.1016/j.aquaculture.2022.738316

Cited by 1 publication

(1 citation statement)

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“…Nevertheless, how food resource constraints and water flow regulate habitat selection by A. japonicas and explain the role of refuges in limiting biological density still requires further investigation. Aggregation effects of artificial reefs may also be influenced by intraspecific competition when the shelter availability is 2 of 12 limited [16][17][18]. Competition for limited resources and the resulting density-constraining processes are essential for population dynamics, especially in heterogeneous habitats [19,20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Shelter Capacity of Artificial Reefs for Sea Cucumber Apostichopus japonicas Is Influenced by Water Flow and Food Resources in Laboratory Experiments

Yan,

Sun,

Yan

et al. 2024

JMSE

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Artificial reefs have been advocated and implemented as management tools for aquaculture, species conservation and habitat replacement. However, the shelter capacity of artificial reefs and its influencing factors are still not well understood. In this study, we identified factors that may limit the shelter capacity of artificial reefs for sea cucumber (Apostichopus japonicas) with a laboratory experiment. We investigated how water flow and food availability affect the shelter capacity and conducted shelter utilization experiments to determine whether sea cucumber sheltering behavior was density dependent. The results revealed that shelter capacity of artificial reefs in high velocity is significantly higher than that of artificial reefs in low velocity or no velocity. The artificial reefs that were provided food had significantly higher shelter capacity than those that did not have food. The densities did not affect the sheltering capacity of artificial reefs in the laboratory experiment. There was a logarithmic relationship between the shelter capacity and shelter availability assessed by the exposed surface area of the artificial reefs. In conclusion, abundant food resources and high water flow may have a positive effect on the shelter capacity of artificial reefs.

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