Temporal Variation in Cyprid Quality and Juvenile Growth Capacity for an Intertidal Barnacle

Abstract

Implicit in past studies of recruitment is the assumption that all new recruits possess the same capacity for juvenile growth, and that observed variation in juvenile growth and survival is due entirely to spatial and temporal variation in food availability, magnitude of physical stresses, and intensity of competition and predation. We set out to determine if daily larval cohorts of the barnacle Semibalanus balanoides differ in mean physiological quality and, therefore, in their potential for recruiting to adult populations. To assess larval physiological quality, we measured the organic content of nonfeeding cyprid larvae attaching on five dates (10-15 d intervals) during the 1995 recruitment season. Juvenile physiological quality was determined by monitoring the growth, under controlled laboratory conditions, of individuals attaching on seven dates (3-15 d intervals) during the same season. Both cyprid organic content and juvenile growth capacity differed significantly among daily cohorts. We suggest that variation in cyprid organic content may explain previous observations of temporal variation in cyprid metamorphic success and early juvenile mortality and further suggest that variation in juvenile growth capacity contributes to differences in recruitment success of daily cohorts.

Strong influences of larval diet history on subsequent post–settlement growth in the freshwater molluscDreissena polymorpha

“…We found that size at settlement and post-metamorphic juvenile growth capacity of D. polymorpha varied considerably among individuals recruiting to a particular population on different dates. These results are consistent with the results of Jarrett & Pechenik (1997), who observed temporal variations in growth capacity of field-collected daily cohorts of marine barnacles. As all of their, and our, post-metamorphic animals were reared at constant temperatures and food concentrations, and divergent post-metamorphic growth was found, we conclude that these distinctions are due to intrinsic differences in the animals' physiological growth capacity.…”

Physiological condition of Balanus amphitrite cyprid larvae determines habitat selection success

“…Since cyprids do not feed, the energetic reserves accumulated during the naupliar stages are important, as demonstrated by Hentschel & Emlet (2000). Energy accumulated during the naupliar stages affects the larva's capacity to locate a substratum and to settle and metamorphose successfully (Jarrett & Pechenik 1997, Miron et al 2000, Jarrett 2003. Balanus amphitrite (Darwin) cyprids lose their settlement selectivity with age (Rittschof et al 1984), a phenomenon tentatively explained by the 'desperate larva hypothesis' (Toonen & Pawlik 1994).…”

Acoplamento Plâncton-Bentos: O Papel Do Suprimento Larval Na Estrutura Das Comunidades Bentônicas De Costões Rochosos

“…O assentamento será infl uenciado por: 1) a qualidade fi siológica da larva (conteúdo energético, competência) (Jarret & Pechenik 1997), e 2) o comportamento da larva frente a estímulos tais como: fl uxo d'água, tipo de substrato e textura (Wethey 1986, Abelson & Denny 1997, Walters et al 1999, Todd 2003, sinais químicos (Tamburri et al 1996, Wright & Boxshall 1999, Steinberg et al 2002, biofi lme , Thiyagarajan et al 2006, composição da comunidade residente (Osman & Whitlatch 1995, Jenkins & Hawkins 2003, presença de conspecífi cos (Toonen & Pawlik 1994, Keough 1998.…”

“…Porém, trabalhos recentes demonstraram que características intrínsecas das larvas tais como a condição fi siológica e conteúdo energético podem modifi car: 1) o comportamento de busca de substrato para o assentamento , Toonen & Pawlik 2001, 2) o sucesso durante a metamorfose (Toonen & Pawlik 2001) e 3) a sobrevivência dos recrutas (Jarret & Pechenik 1997, Jarret 2003. Em condições de laboratório, foi demonstrado que o conteúdo orgânico de cipris (larvas competentes para o assentamento) da espécie Semibalanus balanoides e a capacidade de crescimento dos juvenis produzidos variaram em uma escala temporal curta (poucos dias dentro da mesma estação reprodutiva).…”

“…Em condições de laboratório, foi demonstrado que o conteúdo orgânico de cipris (larvas competentes para o assentamento) da espécie Semibalanus balanoides e a capacidade de crescimento dos juvenis produzidos variaram em uma escala temporal curta (poucos dias dentro da mesma estação reprodutiva). Larvas liberadas ao longo da estação reprodutiva não gerariam juvenis de mesma qualidade, ou seja, com igual capacidade de crescimento e sobrevivência (Jarret & Pechenik 1997). A qualidade fi siológica pode estar determinada por fatores que atuam desde a produção (e qualidade) de ovos pelos adultos (Toonen & Pawlik 1994), a disponibilidade de alimento durante a fase larval no caso de larvas planctotrófi cas (Pechenik et al 2002), até a quantidade de tempo que a fase planctônica é estendida devido à falta de condições adequadas para a fi xação e metamorfose (Marshall & Keough 2003, Pechenik 2006.…”