Life history of the spotted spiny lobster, Panulirus guttatus, an obligate reef-dweller

Sharp, William C.; Hunt, John; Lyons, W.G.

doi:10.1071/mf97125

Cited by 56 publications

(37 citation statements)

References 16 publications

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“…The high mortality of benthic postlarvae on the reef explains the rarity of P. argus juveniles there. But other species of spiny lobster settle preferentially on coral or rock reefs (e.g., P. japonicus and J. edwardsii), including a congenor (P. guttatus) in the Florida Keys (Sharp et al 1997). The postlarvae of reef-dwelling lobster species presumably have other adaptations (e.g., residence in small holes; Yoshimura et al 1994) that reduce their susceptibility to predation on reefs.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive strategies that reduce predation on Caribbean spiny lobster postlarvae during onshore transport

Acosta

Butler

1999

Limnology & Oceanography

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Like many marine species with meroplanktonic larvae, the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) has a postlarval stage that moves from the oceanic plankton to inshore nurseries only under specific environmental conditions (i.e., at night, in the surface water layer, on the flood tide, and during new moon), presumably to avoid predation or to enhance onshore transport. Using field and mesocosm experiments, we compared predation on planktonic postlarvae swimming at night near the surface and bottom over coastal habitats along typical offshore-inshore transport paths and determined whether predation rates differed between lunar periods (new moon vs. full moon) and with prey density (i.e., predator encounter rates). We also measured predation on transparent (newly settled) and pigmented (nearing metamorphosis) postlarvae sheltering in coral reef, seagrass, and macroalgal habitats during the day.We measured predation on postlarvae swimming near the surface and bottom along typical offshore-inshore transport paths (i.e., coral reefs, coastal lagoon, and bay) by tethering postlarvae to floats that drifted on the nightly flood tide during new moon. To test the hypothesis that new-moon transport of postlarvae may have evolved as a means to avoid higher predation under the bright full moon, we repeated the pelagic tethering experiments at the reef and in the bay during full moon. Mortality was highest over coral reefs regardless of lunar phase, but it was lower nearshore, especially in the bay near the surface and during new moon. Predation on benthic, recently settled transparent postlarvae and pigmented postlarvae (nearing metamorphosis) was also higher when tethered on the reef as opposed to vegetated habitats in the lagoon and bay. In experimental mesocosms, planktivorous fish were equally efficient at consuming postlarvae under new-and full-moon conditions when postlarval density was high, as it is in the constricted water column over the reefs. However, when postlarvae were less dense, mortality was significantly lower during new moon. Collectively, these results indicate that several behavioral traits exhibited by postlarval spiny lobsters, including inshore migration during the darkest lunar phase, use of surface waters, and settlement in vegetated habitats, reduce their risk of predation, particularly in the shallow bay. No single behavioral strategy is universally advantageous across all coastal habitats, but combined, they are an effective means to reduce predation across heterogeneous environments that postlarvae must transit during recruitment.Many marine organisms have complex life cycles, with pelagic larval stages that function in dispersal, colonization, and gene flow but that generally experience high mortality (Thorson 1950;Scheltema 1971). In both pelagic and benthic environments, predation can reduce the abundance and affect the spatial distribution of larvae (Cowden et al. 1984;Rumrill et al.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Adaptive strategies that reduce predation on Caribbean spiny lobster postlarvae during onshore transport

Acosta

Butler

1999

Limnology & Oceanography

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“…cygnus: Jernakoff 1990; P. japonicus: Yoshimura & Yamakawa 1988, Norman et al 1994; P. guttatus: Sharp et al 1997;P. interruptus: Serfling & Ford 1975;and others).…”

Section: Ontogenetic Patterns Of Aggregationmentioning

confidence: 99%

The cause and consequence of ontogenetic changes in social aggregation in New Zealand spiny lobsters

Butler¹,

MacDiarmid²,

Booth³

1999

Mar. Ecol. Prog. Ser.

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Ontogenetic changes in the behavior, spatial distribution, or habitat use of a species are presumably adaptations to ecological forces that dlffer in their effect on various life stages. The New Zealand rock lobster Jasus edwardsii is one of several species of spiny lobster that exhibits dramatic ontogenetic shifts in sociality and spatia.1 distribution, and we tested whether such changes are adaptive. We first surveyed several natural populations of J. edwardsii to document size-speclfic differences in aggregation. To determine i f chemical cues discharged by conspecifics promote aggregation of certain ontogenetic stages, we tested the responsiveness of lobsters of 3 ontogenetic stages (early benth~c juvenile, juvenile, and subadult) to the chemical cues produced by conspecifics of different sizes. Finally, we tethered lobsters of different ontogenetic stages alone and in groups to test the effect of lobster size and aggregation on mortality. Our results offer compelling evidence that pre-reproductive J. edwardsii undergo an ontogenetic change in sociality that alters their spatial distribution and sunrival. Our field surveys show that J. edwardsii are solitary as early benthic juveniles and become social and aggregate as they grow larger. We then demonstrate, using laboratory experiments, that there is a sizespecific increase in the response of pre-reproductive J. edwardsii to the chemical cues of larger conspecifics which facilitates these ontogenet~c changes in aggregation. Finally, our tethering results confirm that this change in social condition is selectively advantageous: aggregation does not increase the survival of small lobsters, but larger lobsters survive better in groups. Thus, in this study we demonstrate the linkage between ontogenetic changes in the spatial distribution of a species, the behavioral process that creates the pattern, and the selective advantage conferred by these developmental changes.

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“…Newly matured females of spiny lobsters that repetitively spawn during a single season produce fewer broods than their larger conspecifics (Chubb 2000), with newly matured P. cygnus, P. longipes longipes, and P. guttatus all producing only one batch of eggs during a spawning season (Chubb et al 1994;Gomez & Bermas 1994;Sharp et al 1997). Thus, the fact that the criteria currently in use in this fishery classified a large proportion of small females, i.e., 18% of those below the size at first maturity at Fremantle, as double breeders, indicates that this set of criteria is probably misclassifying a significant proportion of these lobsters.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual assessment of the reproductive condition of female western rock lobsters (Panulirus cygnus)

Melville‐Smith¹,

Lestang²

2005

New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research

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An important issue when surveying the reproductive condition of large numbers of female Panulirus cygnus in the field is that each animal must be assessed quickly and accurately on the basis of only a few easily discernable criteria. The four biological criteria most commonly recorded for each lobster are: (1) ovigerous setae condition (not present, partially developed, and fully developed); (2) the presence (unused or eroded) of a spermatophore mass; (3) the presence and developmental stage of external ova; and (4) the visual appearance of the ovaries through the dorso-thoracic musculature. Using the above criteria each female can then be assigned to a reproductive state, i.e., immature, inactive breeder, single breeder, or double breeder. This study compared external assessments with internal cellular development of the ovary (via histology) and elucidated the shortcomings of the external technique. This has resulted in the production of a modified set of criteria that, if applied to samples collected during the peak of the breeding season, enables the breeding state of a female western rock lobster to be more accurately determined in the field without causing it any damage. The height of the breeding season is the optimum time for stock egg production assessment.

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Life history of the spotted spiny lobster, Panulirus guttatus, an obligate reef-dweller

Cited by 56 publications

References 16 publications

Adaptive strategies that reduce predation on Caribbean spiny lobster postlarvae during onshore transport

Adaptive strategies that reduce predation on Caribbean spiny lobster postlarvae during onshore transport

The cause and consequence of ontogenetic changes in social aggregation in New Zealand spiny lobsters

Visual assessment of the reproductive condition of female western rock lobsters (Panulirus cygnus)

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