Open Access. Powered by Scholars. Published by Universities.®
Articles 1 - 2 of 2
Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Use Of Extractable Lipofuscin For Age Determination Of Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus, Se-Jong Ju, David H. Secor, H. Rodger Harvey
Use Of Extractable Lipofuscin For Age Determination Of Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus, Se-Jong Ju, David H. Secor, H. Rodger Harvey
OES Faculty Publications
The blue crab Callinectes sapidus is an economically and ecologically important species in many temperate estuaries, yet stock assessments have been limited to length-based methods for demographic analyses. We evaluated the potential of age pigments (lipofuscins) sequestered in neural tissue of eye-stalks and brains to estimate the age of blue crabs collected from Chesapeake Bay and Chincoteague Bay. The rate of lipofuscin accumulation was determined using crabs of known age reared in the laboratory. Age pigments were extracted from neural tissues (eye-stalk or brain), quantified, and normalized to protein content to allow comparisons across tissue types and crab sizes. Field-collected …
Time To Metamorphosis Of Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Megalopae: Effects Of Benthic Macroalgae, Robert D. Brumbaugh, John R. Mcconaugha
Time To Metamorphosis Of Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Megalopae: Effects Of Benthic Macroalgae, Robert D. Brumbaugh, John R. Mcconaugha
OES Faculty Publications
There is growing evidence that postlarvae (megalopae) of the blue crab Callinectes sapidus can slow the progression through the molt cycle while in offshore nursery grounds, and delay metamorphosis until reinvasion of coastal habitat occurs. However, the cues that trigger metamorphosis of megalopae are not well known. This study tested the hypothesis that the time to metamorphosis (TTM) from the postlarval megalops stage to the first crab stage is shortened in the presence of 2 potential macroalgal settlement substrates, Ulva lactuca (Chlorophyta), and Gracilaria spp. (Rhodophyta). Megalopae and test water were collected from 3 locations (offshore, at a coastal inlet, …