Effect of substrate on settlement behaviour, development, growth, and survival of American lobster postlarvae, and evidence that mud bottom can serve as secondary nursery habitat
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Date
2014
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University of New Brunswick
Abstract
Postlarval American lobsters, Homarus americanus, prefer settling onto a cobble
substrate and delay settling onto other substrates. Using tanks lined with cobble, mud, or
sand, I found that postlarvae settled first onto cobble, second onto mud, and last onto
sand. Furthermore, postlarvae moulted sooner on cobble than on mud, and sooner on mud
than on sand. The longest delay of settlement, over large, sand-lined tanks, resulted in
reduced carapace length and mass at the next moult in comparison to postlarvae which
settled earlier onto mud or cobble. The costs of delaying settlement could encourage
settlement onto less-preferred substrates when cobble is unavailable. Accordingly, I
deployed passive collectors onto mud habitat in Maces Bay, NB, Bay of Fundy. These
collectors were colonized by juvenile lobsters ranging in size from young of the year up
to adolescents. Consequently, I identify mud habitat as an overlooked nursery habitat for
American lobster settlement and early life history.