Larval settlement behaviour in six gregarious ascidians in relation to adult distribution
Larval settlement behaviour in six gregarious ascidians in relation to adult distribution
Settlement influences the distribution and abundance of many marine organisms, although the relative roles of abiotic and biotic factors influencing settlement are poorly understood. Species that aggregate often owe this characteristic to larval behaviour, and we investigated whether this predisposes ascidians to becoming invasive, by increasing their capacity to maintain their populations. We explored the interactive effects of larval phototaxis and geotaxis and conspecific adult extracts on settlement rates of a representative suite of 6 species of ascidians that form aggregations in the field, including 4 aliens with global distributions, and how they relate to adult habitat characteristics. In the laboratory, the larvae were (1) held in light or dark, (2) offered the choice of settling in the light or dark, or (3) held in the presence or absence of adult extract. When confined in either light or dark conditions, all species settled equally in dark and light. Four showed strong geotaxis, 3 settling preferentially on the bottom of experimental chambers, and one on the top. Offered a choice between dark and light, 2 species settled preferentially in the dark with no geotactic preferences and another 2 showed an interaction between light and geotaxis. For 4 of the species, the responses of settlers accorded with, and may contribute to, adult orientation patterns in the field. Adult extracts inhibited settlement of 3 species and failed to influence settlement of the other 3, arguing against conspecific attraction being a cause of aggregation and an explanation of the propensity of ascidians to become invasive.
ascidiacea, chemical cues, gregarious behaviour, invasive species, larval settlement, conspecific attraction
151-163
Rius, Marc
c4e88345-4b4e-4428-b4b2-37229155f68d
Branch, George M.
d0e7f1d6-0618-41e0-95a2-e7eb9e74bf98
Griffiths, Charles L.
cdd65800-d284-4537-a600-a7fc47e56686
Turon, Xavier
df0c3b35-aba1-4657-add0-3c6aee7c08d3
18 November 2010
Rius, Marc
c4e88345-4b4e-4428-b4b2-37229155f68d
Branch, George M.
d0e7f1d6-0618-41e0-95a2-e7eb9e74bf98
Griffiths, Charles L.
cdd65800-d284-4537-a600-a7fc47e56686
Turon, Xavier
df0c3b35-aba1-4657-add0-3c6aee7c08d3
Rius, Marc, Branch, George M., Griffiths, Charles L. and Turon, Xavier
(2010)
Larval settlement behaviour in six gregarious ascidians in relation to adult distribution.
Marine Ecology Progress Series, 418, .
(doi:10.3354/meps08810).
Abstract
Settlement influences the distribution and abundance of many marine organisms, although the relative roles of abiotic and biotic factors influencing settlement are poorly understood. Species that aggregate often owe this characteristic to larval behaviour, and we investigated whether this predisposes ascidians to becoming invasive, by increasing their capacity to maintain their populations. We explored the interactive effects of larval phototaxis and geotaxis and conspecific adult extracts on settlement rates of a representative suite of 6 species of ascidians that form aggregations in the field, including 4 aliens with global distributions, and how they relate to adult habitat characteristics. In the laboratory, the larvae were (1) held in light or dark, (2) offered the choice of settling in the light or dark, or (3) held in the presence or absence of adult extract. When confined in either light or dark conditions, all species settled equally in dark and light. Four showed strong geotaxis, 3 settling preferentially on the bottom of experimental chambers, and one on the top. Offered a choice between dark and light, 2 species settled preferentially in the dark with no geotactic preferences and another 2 showed an interaction between light and geotaxis. For 4 of the species, the responses of settlers accorded with, and may contribute to, adult orientation patterns in the field. Adult extracts inhibited settlement of 3 species and failed to influence settlement of the other 3, arguing against conspecific attraction being a cause of aggregation and an explanation of the propensity of ascidians to become invasive.
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Published date: 18 November 2010
Keywords:
ascidiacea, chemical cues, gregarious behaviour, invasive species, larval settlement, conspecific attraction
Organisations:
Ocean Biochemistry & Ecosystems
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 354676
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/354676
PURE UUID: 0f970a02-1878-418d-b5c8-cb670509bb36
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Date deposited: 17 Jul 2013 11:15
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 14:22
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Contributors
Author:
George M. Branch
Author:
Charles L. Griffiths
Author:
Xavier Turon
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