Chemical sensing of microhabitat by pueruli of the reef-dwelling Caribbean spiny lobster Panulirus argus: testing the importance of red algae, juveniles, and their interactive effect

Abstract

Although our knowledge about the early life of the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus (Latreille, 1804), has increased considerably during recent decades, little is known about chemical sensing used by pueruli during settlement. Considering previously-reported benefits of inhabiting red algae Laurencia spp., such as increased growth rate and costs of close proximity to already settled benthic juveniles from predators, we predicted that the pueruli of P. argus will be attracted to the metabolites produced by red algae and repulsed by metabolites produced by juvenile conspecifics. We also expected that any preference for Laurencia spp. would cease or decrease if this cue was presented together with metabolites produced by conspecific given the reported costs of associating with them after settlement. Our results were not consistent with the predictions above. Our experiments suggest that pueruli do not display any preference for the metabolites produced by red algae or avoidance of metabolites produced by juvenile conspecifics. Unexpectedly, settling stages were attracted to water with a combination of metabolites produced by red algae and juveniles. We also examined the influence of conspecific and red algae abundance on pueruli settlement in Florida Bay, the most important nursery ground of P. argus in the USA. Partially consistent with our experiments, field data indicated that juvenile lobster density had a positive influence on pueruli settlement, as did a synergistic effect of juvenile lobster density and Laurencia spp. algae cover. Altogether, our field and laboratory data suggest that the interplay of environmental cues drives settlement of the Caribbean spiny lobster in a more complex manner than originally thought. Additional studies on the settling behavior of P. argus pueruli are needed to improve our understanding of the relationship between recruitment and fishery stocks in this heavily exploited species. Habitat selection during larval (or post-larval) settlement is one of the most critical yet poorly understood processes in marine organisms with a planktonic phase (Pawlik 1992, Levin 2006). During settlement from the pelagic to benthic environment, some research paper

Ocean acidification disrupts the orientation of postlarval Caribbean spiny lobsters

“…If the chemosensory receptors are damaged, a cue may need to be more concentrated than the one we used in these experiments for a behavioural response to be observed. Our cue concentration, however, was within the range of those used in other chemosensory studies on spiny lobsters 59,60 . Overall, the decrease in activity observed among individuals supports our hypothesis that some physiological mechanism is likely impaired in spiny lobster pueruli during exposure to reduced-pH conditions.…”

“…The Laurencia was blotted dry before it was weighed. This concentration is within the range of those used in earlier studies that tested the effects of chemical cues on spiny lobsters 59,60 . The 8 L of cue seawater was transferred into an empty 20-L carboy for the experiment.…”

Genome survey sequencing of the Caribbean spiny lobsterPanulirus argus: Genome size, nuclear rRNA operon, repetitive elements, and microsatellite discovery

“…Studies combining a subset of the SSRs identified here (after further development), nuclear SNPs ( Baeza, Umaña-Castro & Mejia-Ortiz, 2019 ), and mitochondrial genomes ( Baeza, 2018 ) can be used to assess population genetic/genomic connectivity in P. argus across its range of distribution. Furthermore, these new resources will aid in answering questions relevant for the conservation and fisheries management of this species, including but not limited to determining kinship aggregations within populations, effective population sizes ( Baeza, Childress & Ambrosio, 2018 ), recent migration rates, source and sink meta-population dynamics, as well as local adaptation ( Oleksiak & Rajora, 2020 ).…”

“…The 10th larval stage undergoes a metamorphosis offshore, turning into a fast-swimming, lecithotrophic, short-lived (2–4 weeks) “puerulus” post-larval stage with morphology similar to that of juvenile and adult benthic lobsters, but almost devoid of coloration ( Phillips et al, 2006 ). Pueruli actively swim from the open ocean to shallow coastal habitats, where they settle in vegetated habitats ( Baeza, Childress & Ambrosio, 2018 , and references therein). A few days after settlement, pueruli molt and metamorphose into early benthic juveniles that resume feeding and dwell in the vegetation for several months ( Lewis, Moore & Babis, 1952 ; Behringer et al, 2009 ).…”

Improving Survival of Juvenile Scalloped Spiny Lobster (Panulirus homarus) and Crucifix Crab (Charybdis feriatus) Using Shelter and Live Prey

“…The choice of shelter, feeding density, and feeding frequency is critical to the survival rate of postlarvae and juveniles [ 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 ]. Several artificial material shelters, including cement, plastic plates, PVC tubes, and wood have been used [ 13 , 14 , 17 , 20 ].…”