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Tidal-amplitude rhythms of larval release: variable departure from presumed optimal timing among populations of the mottled shore crab

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  20 April 2010

M. Bueno  and
A.A.V. Flores
M. Bueno
Affiliation:
Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Filosofia, Ciências e Letras de Ribeirão Preto, Avenida Bandeirantes 3900, CEP 14040-901, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil
A.A.V. Flores*
Affiliation:
Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Biologia Marinha, Rodovia Manoel Hipólito do Rego, Km 131,5, CEP 11600-000, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil
*
Correspondence should be addressed to: A.A.V. Flores, Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Biologia Marinha, Rodovia Manoel Hipólito do Rego, Km 131,5, CEP 11600-000, São Sebastião, SP, Brazil email: guca@usp.br
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Abstract

It is widely assumed that optimal timing of larval release is of major importance to offspring survival, but the extent to which environmental factors entrain synchronous reproductive rhythms in natural populations is not well known. We sampled the broods of ovigerous females of the common shore crab Pachygrapsus transversus at both sheltered and exposed rocky shores interspersed along a 50-km coastline, during four different periods, to better assess inter-population differences of larval release timing and to test for the effect of wave action. Shore-specific patterns were consistent through time. Maximum release fell within 1 day around syzygies on all shores, which matched dates of maximum tidal amplitude. Within this very narrow range, populations at exposed shores anticipated hatching compared to those at sheltered areas, possibly due to mechanical stimulation by wave action. Average departures from syzygial release ranged consistently among shores from 2.4 to 3.3 days, but in this case we found no evidence for the effect of wave exposure. Therefore, processes varying at the scale of a few kilometres affect the precision of semilunar timing and may produce differences in the survival of recently hatched larvae. Understanding the underlying mechanisms causing departures from presumed optimal release timing is thus important for a more comprehensive evaluation of reproductive success of invertebrate populations.

Keywords

larval release synchronismtidal rhythmsBrachyurareproductive output
Type
Research Article
Information
Journal of the Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom , Volume 90 , Issue 5 , August 2010 , pp. 859 - 865
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 2010

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