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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Ecological Impact Of Casitas On Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) Populations In The Florida Keys, Fl, (Usa), Benjamin C. Gutzler
The Ecological Impact Of Casitas On Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) Populations In The Florida Keys, Fl, (Usa), Benjamin C. Gutzler
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Casitas are artificial structures placed on the seabed by fishermen to aggregate Caribbean spiny lobsters (Panulirus argus) for ease of capture. Some researchers suggest that they may also enhance lobster populations in shelter-limited environments. Conversely, aggregation of lobsters within casitas may be detrimental to the population if the nutritional condition or mortality of lobsters is poorer in casitas than in natural shelters. Small juvenile lobsters may be at particular risk because their foraging range is smaller and they are more readily preyed upon than larger lobsters. If so, then casitas placed in lobster nurseries may function as "ecological traps"; wherein …
Behavioral Enhancement Of Onshore Transport By Postlarval Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus), Jason Seth Goldstein
Behavioral Enhancement Of Onshore Transport By Postlarval Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus), Jason Seth Goldstein
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The onshore transport of meroplanktonic marine larvae or postlarvae is often complex, involving both active (i.e., behavior, swimming) and passive (i.e., oceanographic elements) transport mechanisms. Behaviors that modify passive transport have presumably evolved to situate larvae in settlement habitats where survival is enhanced. Active transport mechanisms have not been described for the puerulus postlarvae of any species of spiny lobster, despite their extraordinary mobility and known preference for specific settlement habitats. In the Florida Keys, for example, Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) pueruli travel from oceanic waters into coastal areas where they settle within bushy, red macroalgae. I …
Strong Interactions Between Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) And Caribbean Reef Octopus (Octopus Briareus) In The Florida Keys, Jennifer Anne Lear
Strong Interactions Between Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) And Caribbean Reef Octopus (Octopus Briareus) In The Florida Keys, Jennifer Anne Lear
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Coexisting species may simultaneously compete for resources and interact as predator and prey, creating a strong interaction that can alter the structure of animal communities. This type of interaction potentially occurs between juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) and Caribbean reef octopus (Octopus briareus) within hard-bottom habitats in the Florida Keys, FL (USA), where octopuses may consume juvenile lobsters and also compete with them for limited crevice shelters. I conducted a series of field and mesocosm studies to investigate the nature of octopus-lobster interactions and their implications for the structure of their populations in the wild. …
Male Reproductive Dynamics In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Jamie S. Heisig
Male Reproductive Dynamics In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus Argus, Jamie S. Heisig
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
The population size structure of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus argus, in the Florida Keys, Florida (USA) has undergone a dramatic shift as a result of fishing pressure on the large individuals of the population. Male lobsters are affected most by fishing because of sexual dimorphism in size and other studies have shown that male size has direct impacts on reproductive output (i.e., number of fertilized eggs/clutch) that are independent of female size. To assess more precisely the impact of male size on fertilization success, I conducted laboratory experiments and field observations to examine various male reproductive attributes over …
The Impact Of Resident And Transient Predators On The Popultation Dynamics Of Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) In Florida Bay, Florida, Jason Edward Schratwieser
The Impact Of Resident And Transient Predators On The Popultation Dynamics Of Juvenile Caribbean Spiny Lobster (Panulirus Argus) In Florida Bay, Florida, Jason Edward Schratwieser
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
There has been a considerable amount of research devoted to exploring the relationship between predators and prey, but many of these studies fail to address how predation can vary over spatial and temporal scales. The tendency of ecologists to model predation as a static entity often masks its capacity for creating distinctive effects in prey populations and communities. Most predation studies also focus on the effect of a single species of predator on a prey population, an unrealistic situation in nature. In the Florida Keys, juvenile spiny lobsters are subjected to two general classes of predators: i) "resident" predators such …
Ecology Of The Early Life History Of The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus: Recruitment, Predation, And Habitat Requirements, Charles A. Acosta
Ecology Of The Early Life History Of The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus: Recruitment, Predation, And Habitat Requirements, Charles A. Acosta
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Recruitment variability of the early life history stages of marine benthic organisms can have profound consequences on population dynamics. I studied factors affecting recruitment success of postlarvae and early juveniles of the Caribbean spiny lobster. I examined patterns in postlarval supply, investigated wind forcing as a potential transport mechanism for recruiting postlarvae, and quantified predation on postlarvae in south Florida, USA. In an eight-year time series, spiny lobster postlarval supply occurred year-round between the new and first quarter lunar phases. The major annual peak occurred around March corresponding to spawning activity ten months earlier, and a smaller non-seasonal peak occurred …
The Influence Of Temperature Salinity And Postlarval Transport On The Distribution Of Juvenile Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus Argus, In Florida Bay, Jennifer Marie Field
The Influence Of Temperature Salinity And Postlarval Transport On The Distribution Of Juvenile Spiny Lobsters, Panulirus Argus, In Florida Bay, Jennifer Marie Field
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Florida Bay is a major nursery for the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus. The Bay contains a series of hardbottom or seagrass-covered basins separated by mudbanks, which serve as barriers to water circulation and presumably to transport of postlarvae. Temperatures can fluctuate dramatically in the basins and salinities range from 35 ppt to > 50 ppt. In this study I: i) investigated the physiological tolerance of spiny lobster postlarvae to combinations of temperature and salinity representative of conditions in Florida Bay, and ii) examined how postlarval availability and habitat structure influence spiny lobster recruitment into basins. I measured juvenile lobster …