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A paradoxical mismatch of fecundity and recruitment in deep-sea opportunists: Cocculinid and pseudococculinid limpets colonizing vascular plant remains on the Bahamian Slope

A paradoxical mismatch of fecundity and recruitment in deep-sea opportunists: Cocculinid and pseudococculinid limpets colonizing vascular plant remains on the Bahamian Slope
A paradoxical mismatch of fecundity and recruitment in deep-sea opportunists: Cocculinid and pseudococculinid limpets colonizing vascular plant remains on the Bahamian Slope
Between 1992 and 1994, palm fronds and bundles of fibrous material (rolled door mats of Chinese dragon grass) were deployed by submersible every 3 months at 520 m depth in the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas. Substrata were recovered after 3-month and 6-month exposure periods and searched intensively for invertebrate colonists. Recruitment surfaces were colonized during every exposure period by three species of cocculiniform limpets, Cocculina rathbuni, Cocculina emsoni, and Notocrater youngi. At least two species appeared in each season, but the relative numbers varied in a way that may indicate seasonal differences in reproduction. Gonad development could be observed through the transparent shell of C. rathbuni, which attained sexual maturity in less than 3 months and had a maximum instantaneous fecundity of 40 eggs. Growth rates (0.025–0.044 mm/day) were high when scaled to adult body size. We used current-meter data from the deployment site to calculate the fluxes of larvae that would be required to produce the measured levels of recruitment. Observed recruitment would require larval densities of hundreds of thousands to millions of larvae per km3. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that these snails are able to succeed with an opportunistic strategy given their low fecundity and lecithotrophic development.
Deep sea, Reproduction, Gastropoda, Limpets, Recruitment, Bathyal
0967-0645
36-45
Young, Craig M.
fbf542be-319f-48ba-a8be-3db18e73b385
Emson, Roland H.
fc87f3b3-2694-4f5c-8ae0-20d89f9e2cb9
Rice, Mary E.
79ecbfd8-d121-4d0e-9986-c1e6078da5df
Tyler, Paul A.
d1965388-38cc-4c1d-9217-d59dba4dd7f8
Young, Craig M.
fbf542be-319f-48ba-a8be-3db18e73b385
Emson, Roland H.
fc87f3b3-2694-4f5c-8ae0-20d89f9e2cb9
Rice, Mary E.
79ecbfd8-d121-4d0e-9986-c1e6078da5df
Tyler, Paul A.
d1965388-38cc-4c1d-9217-d59dba4dd7f8

Young, Craig M., Emson, Roland H., Rice, Mary E. and Tyler, Paul A. (2013) A paradoxical mismatch of fecundity and recruitment in deep-sea opportunists: Cocculinid and pseudococculinid limpets colonizing vascular plant remains on the Bahamian Slope. Deep Sea Research Part II: Topical Studies in Oceanography, 92, 36-45. (doi:10.1016/j.dsr2.2013.01.027).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Between 1992 and 1994, palm fronds and bundles of fibrous material (rolled door mats of Chinese dragon grass) were deployed by submersible every 3 months at 520 m depth in the Tongue of the Ocean, Bahamas. Substrata were recovered after 3-month and 6-month exposure periods and searched intensively for invertebrate colonists. Recruitment surfaces were colonized during every exposure period by three species of cocculiniform limpets, Cocculina rathbuni, Cocculina emsoni, and Notocrater youngi. At least two species appeared in each season, but the relative numbers varied in a way that may indicate seasonal differences in reproduction. Gonad development could be observed through the transparent shell of C. rathbuni, which attained sexual maturity in less than 3 months and had a maximum instantaneous fecundity of 40 eggs. Growth rates (0.025–0.044 mm/day) were high when scaled to adult body size. We used current-meter data from the deployment site to calculate the fluxes of larvae that would be required to produce the measured levels of recruitment. Observed recruitment would require larval densities of hundreds of thousands to millions of larvae per km3. Nevertheless, it is remarkable that these snails are able to succeed with an opportunistic strategy given their low fecundity and lecithotrophic development.

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More information

Published date: August 2013
Keywords: Deep sea, Reproduction, Gastropoda, Limpets, Recruitment, Bathyal
Organisations: Ocean Biochemistry & Ecosystems

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 354206
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/354206
ISSN: 0967-0645
PURE UUID: 5c6eeb8c-9886-4e05-be57-cd5c944b4674

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Date deposited: 03 Jul 2013 15:50
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 14:15

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Contributors

Author: Craig M. Young
Author: Roland H. Emson
Author: Mary E. Rice
Author: Paul A. Tyler

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