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Allee effect; positive density dependence; inverse density dependence; depensation; functional maturity; queen conch
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Conserving Populations At Low Abundance: Delayed Functional Maturity And Allee Effects In Reproductive Behaviour Of The Queen Conch Strombus Gigas, J Gascoigne, Rom Lipcius
Conserving Populations At Low Abundance: Delayed Functional Maturity And Allee Effects In Reproductive Behaviour Of The Queen Conch Strombus Gigas, J Gascoigne, Rom Lipcius
VIMS Articles
Effectiveness of conservation measures for diminished populations depends on the mechanism producing low abundance. In queen conch, which is heavily exploited, reproductive activity is depressed where conch density is low, which may be due to the Allee effect, poor habitat quality, or delayed functional maturity. To determine the mechanism underlying impaired reproduction in shallow seagrass beds, mature conch were translocated from 'source' sites with high and low, ambient conch density (similar to1000 and similar to20 conch ha(-1), respectively), and kept at high density in enclosures within high- and low-density 'host' sites. We monitored reproductive activity, and modelled conch population dynamics …