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Effect of conspecifics density on the settlement of Petrolisthes laevigatus (Decapoda: Porcellanidae)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 February 2011

P. Gebauer ,
M. Freire ,
A. Barria  and
K. Paschke
P. Gebauer*
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones I-MAR, Universidad de Los Lagos, Casilla 557 Puerto Montt, Chile
M. Freire
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones I-MAR, Universidad de Los Lagos, Casilla 557 Puerto Montt, Chile
A. Barria
Affiliation:
Centro de Investigaciones I-MAR, Universidad de Los Lagos, Casilla 557 Puerto Montt, Chile
K. Paschke
Affiliation:
Instituto de Acuicultura, Universidad Austral de Chile, Casilla 1327, Puerto Montt, Chile
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: P. Gebauer, Centro de Investigaciones I-MAR, Universidad de Los Lagos, Casilla 557 Puerto Montt, Chile email: pgebauer@ulagos.cl
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Abstract

Settlement is one of the critical points in the development of organisms with complex life cycles. Some marine invertebrates respond to specific cues such as substratum and conspecifics, and the larvae of species presenting gregarious settlement are characterized by a preference for settlement in patches with conspecifics over those without. An evaluation was made in the field of the effect of conspecifics density on the settlement of Petrolisthes laevigatus during two settlement seasons. The size-distribution and density were maintained constant throughout the first settlement season, while in the second year they were adjusted to match those presented in three previously identified periods during the season. The settlement rate of P. laevigatus was higher in the presence than the absence of conspecifics. There was evidence of saturation in the settlement of the higher densities, mainly at the beginning of the settlement season, when approximately 80% of the settlement occurred. We propose that gregarious settlement is an important factor in determining the distribution and abundance of P. laevigatus at different spatial scales, both within and among coastal areas, and could restrict the colonization of new areas and the recovery of populations reduced by disturbances.

Keywords

gregarious settlementporcelain crabconspecifics densityPetrolisthes
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 91 , Issue 7 , November 2011 , pp. 1453 - 1458
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2011

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