Effect of conspecifics density on the settlement of <i>Petrolisthes laevigatus</i> (Decapoda: Porcellanidae)

Gebauer, Paulina; Freire, María Gabriela; Barria, Aura M.; Paschke, Kurt

doi:10.1017/s0025315411000087

Cited by 9 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 24 publications

(39 reference statements)

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“…In addition to the seasonal fluctuations in temperature and food supply mentioned above, also salinity varies in the study area, being particularly low in December (Gebauer 2004;Iriarte and González 2008), while the settlement rate of P. laevigatus is strongly reduced (Gebauer 2004;Gebauer et al 2011). Hence, the relatively few megalopae that settle in the intertidal zone during this period may be exposed to conditions of lowsalinity stress.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

“…The nutritional vulnerability index (NVI; Gebauer et al 2010) fluctuates between 2.2 and 1.7 in August and October, respectively, indicating high values of point of reserve saturation and low values of point of no return, representing high dependence on food of early larval stage (Gebauer et al 2010). The settlement period of this species extends over six months, from October to March, showing both inter-and intra-annual variations in settler abundance (Gebauer et al 2007(Gebauer et al , 2011. Due to the long duration of the periods of egg laying, larval hatching, and megalopal settlement, females and early developmental stages (embryos, zoeae, megalopae) face seasonally variable environmental conditions.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

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Seasonal variation in dry weight and elemental composition of the early developmental stages of Petrolisthes laevigatus (Guérin, 1835) (Decapoda: Porcellanidae) in the Seno de Reloncaví, southern Chile

et al. 2012

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In the Seno de Reloncaví, southern Chile, seasonal changes in dry weight (DW) and elemental composition (CHN) were studied in embryo (initial embryonic stage), newly hatched zoeae, and newly settled megalopae of a porcelain crab, Petrolisthes laevigatus. Samples were taken throughout the seasons of egg laying (March-December), hatching (August-February), and settlement (October-February). Values of DW and CHN per embryo or larva, respectively, were consistently minimum in the middle of each season and maximum near its beginning and end. Patterns of seasonal variation in early embryonic biomass may thus be carried over to larvae at hatching and, possibly, to the settlement stage. Such carryover effects may be selectively advantageous, as zoeae released at the beginning or near the end of the hatching season face conditions of poor planktonic food availability in combination with low winter temperatures or decreasing temperatures at the end of summer (enforcing long development duration). Hence, an enhanced female energy allocation into egg production may subsequently translate to enhanced yolk reserves remaining at hatching, allowing for a larval development under unfavourable winter conditions. In summer, by contrast, plankton productivity and temperatures are generally high, allowing for fast larval growth and development. This coincides with minimal biomass and energy contents both at hatching and settlement. In conclusion, our data suggest that seasonal patterns in the biomass of early developmental stages of P. laevigatus may reflect phenotypic variability as an adaptive response to predictable variations in environmental conditions, allowing this species to reproduce in temperate regions with marked seasonality in water temperature and plankton productivity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 94%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 95%

Seasonal variation in dry weight and elemental composition of the early developmental stages of Petrolisthes laevigatus (Guérin, 1835) (Decapoda: Porcellanidae) in the Seno de Reloncaví, southern Chile

et al. 2012

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“…For sessile organisms, the mobile larval phase may be the only chance that individuals have to avoid low-oxygen environments; in this way, habitat selection is critical for their fitness. There is extensive literature on the factors affecting larval habitat selection, including the presence of competitors (Grosberg 1981, Bullard et al 2004, pollution (Hunte & Wittenberg 1992, Knott et al 2009, light intensity and quality (Mundy & Babcock 1998), chemical cues (Thiyagarajan 2010), biofilm composition (Wieczorek & Todd 1997, Cheung et al 2014, Whalan & Webster 2014, the presence of conspecific adults (Jensen 1989, Gebauer et al 2011 and properties of the substratum (Roberts et al 1991, Tapella et al 2012. Larvae may use such cues as indicators of habitat quality in order to maximize their chance of surviving to post-settlement (Raimondi & Keough 1990, Donahue 2006.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Avoiding low-oxygen environments: oxytaxis as a mechanism of habitat selection in a marine invertebrate

Lagos¹,

White²,

Marshall³

2015

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Oxygen-poor habitats are increasingly common in aquatic environments. Human activities are accelerating the spread of oxygen-poor environments, yet the way in which larvae avoid low-oxygen conditions remains poorly resolved. For organisms with a sessile or sedentary adult phase, habitat selection is crucial, and many organisms show sophisticated responses to various habitat cues during colonization. Whether oxygen availability serves as such a cue is unknown, yet increasingly, it seems that oxygen is an essential limiting resource in some systems. In a series of experiments, we manipulated oxygen levels during dispersal and colonization in larvae of the model marine invertebrate Bugula neritina in the laboratory. We found that, in the presence of lower oxygen levels, larvae reduce the time spent in habitat exploration and that they delay settlement. We also found that larvae avoid hypoxic water (positive oxytaxis)-the first such demonstration for marine larvae. All of these behaviors may decrease the likelihood of colonizing low-oxygen habitats in nature. Our results suggest that marine invertebrate larvae, in this species at least, can use oxygen availability as an initial cue for habitat selection but that additional factors (e.g. biofilms) determine settlement patterns.

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“…Because higher cue concentrations may trigger stronger attraction effects in larvae and waterborne cue density depends on local variations of abundance of adult crabs, settlement rates may vary even on a scale of tens of centimetres in areas with low wave exposure. ), 208 (2006), and Gebauer et al (2011 presented evidence that megalopae of P. cinctipes, P. eriomerus and P. laevigatus also settle preferably in the presence of conspecific adults, suggesting that conspecific cueing may be common in Petrolisthes spp. Generally, conspecific cueing is common among marine invertebrates including many crustacean species (for reviews, see Crisp, 1974; because it facilitates higher probability of finding suitable high quality habitat .…”

Section: Influences Of Settlement and Conspecific Cueing On Patterns Of Abundancementioning

confidence: 99%

Spatial Dynamics and Life History Characteristics of an Aggregating Species, Petrolisthes Elongatus

Truemper¹

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<p>Intertidal boulder fields are heterogeneous mosaics of different micro-habitat patches providing high structural complexity and spatial variability of environmental conditions that shape the heterogeneity of abundance of species. The influence of the spatial scale at which ecological patterns are measured has gained much attention over the last two decades. The adaptations to environmental conditions as well as the ability to disperse vary among species and, consequently, result in species-specific responses to heterogeneous environments. Understanding the causes and consequences of spatial patterns of abundance of organisms is a central problem in ecology and insight in underlying mechanisms may have important implications for fisheries management and conservation biology. The competing demands organisms are subject to require compromises to optimise fitness and facilitate the persistence of a population. Reproductive trade-offs, for example, may be largely the result of adaptive processes, constrained by phylogenetic effects. Generally, trade-offs are regarded as a key to understand the evolution of life history characteristics. The present study investigates the spatial dynamics and life history adaptations of an aggregating species, the New Zealand half crab, Petrolisthes elongatus. This species has a biphasic lifecycle and occurs in geographically isolated benthic metapopulations that are associated with cobble beaches, where it reaches extremely high densities. Even though sampling was conducted exclusively in the Wellington region, sites at Cook Strait as well as within Wellington Harbour exhibited considerable differences in habitat structure and temperatures as well as wave exposure and food supply. Cobble size was an excellent predictor of both population density and mean carapace width on almost every scale of observation and, therefore, appeared to be an important indicator of habitat quality for P. elongates because cobble size is closely related to availability and size of interstitial space between boulders the crabs utilize as shelters against predation and desiccation pressure. Crab densities were significantly (6-fold) higher within the harbour compared to south coast sites, presumably due to 1) the different availability of shelter space, 2) lower settlement and recruitment rates at Cook Strait, and 3) higher food supply within the harbour. Population structure was mainly influenced by settlement and recruitment, but also by rock size (i.e. shelter size), size selective predation and a higher mobility of larger crabs. Under laboratory conditions, predation rates among small crabs strongly depended on rock size, whereas large crabs were generally rarely to never preyed upon. Migrated distances did not exceed 100cm over 25h in most cases but were different at different sites. While structural complexity could affect mobility (i.e. easier movement among larger rocks), local density and resulting levels of intraspecific competition were possibly the main drivers of limited mobility of adult crabs. P. elongatus exhibits a high phenotypic plasticity of reproductive traits in response to the variable environmental conditions across sites. Female crabs at Island Bay (Cook Strait) showed the highest fecundity, higher percentage of ovigerous females, higher proportion of clutch to body weight (i.e. reproductive output) and higher egg numbers among large individuals compared to similarsized individuals at other sites at the harbour entrance (Breaker Bay) as well as within the harbour (Hutt River mouth). Larvae of P. elongatus strongly responded to waterborne settlement cues released by conspecific adults both in the laboratory and in the field. The average numbers of settlers was 4-fold higher in basket traps deployed in the field if conspecific adults were present. Therefore, settlement patters are strongly influenced by conspecific density, even on a small spatial scale (tens of centimetres). Recently metamorphosed individuals may still respond to conspecific cues, presumably providing guidance to conspecific adults that protect juveniles from predation and desiccation pressure in addition to shelters between boulders. Under laboratory conditions, individual growth rates as well as mortality depended on density but not on food level. Differences in density dependent growth rates and mortality varied with body size and were both more pronounced among smaller crabs. Limb loss significantly influenced the increase in body weight over time, especially among small individuals; however, no differences could be detected regarding changes in body size due to few moults over the course of the experiment. Crabs with removed chelipeds gained more weight over 7 weeks relative to uninjured individuals, presumably due to the limb regeneration process. Reproductive output, however, appeared not to be affected by limb loss and the associated costs of regenerating chelipeds; however, sample sizes were low to reliably detect such differences. The results of my thesis underline the importance of the consideration of spatial scale in ecological studies in order to meaningfully compare results with other studies. Additionally, the present study contributes to elucidate the influence of environmental conditions on density dependence and reproductive traits of mobile intertidal invertebrates.</p>

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Effect of conspecifics density on the settlement of Petrolisthes laevigatus (Decapoda: Porcellanidae)

Cited by 9 publications

References 24 publications

Seasonal variation in dry weight and elemental composition of the early developmental stages of Petrolisthes laevigatus (Guérin, 1835) (Decapoda: Porcellanidae) in the Seno de Reloncaví, southern Chile

Seasonal variation in dry weight and elemental composition of the early developmental stages of Petrolisthes laevigatus (Guérin, 1835) (Decapoda: Porcellanidae) in the Seno de Reloncaví, southern Chile

Avoiding low-oxygen environments: oxytaxis as a mechanism of habitat selection in a marine invertebrate

Spatial Dynamics and Life History Characteristics of an Aggregating Species, Petrolisthes Elongatus

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