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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Feeding Responses Of Juvenile And Adult Streblospio Benedicti Webster (Spionidae) To Organic Chemicals Bound To Glass Microbeads, Heidi Kathryn Mahon
Feeding Responses Of Juvenile And Adult Streblospio Benedicti Webster (Spionidae) To Organic Chemicals Bound To Glass Microbeads, Heidi Kathryn Mahon
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
Spionid polychaetes feed at the sediment-water interface using a pair of ciliated palps. Polychaetes select food particles based upon characteristics including size, texture, specific gravity and organic coatings. Juvenile and adult spionids have different stable isotopic carbon signals, indicating the potential to differentiate organic cues ontogenetically. In the present study, the feeding responses of juvenile and adult Streblospio benedicti Webster to seven organic coatings bound (five amino acids and two carbohydrates) to glass microbeads were tested. Juveniles and adults were highly selective for all seven types of organically coated beads. Juveniles were highly selective for threonine; whereas adults were highly …
The Ecological Ramifications Of Disease And Density In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus, Donald C. Behringer Jr.
The Ecological Ramifications Of Disease And Density In The Caribbean Spiny Lobster, Panulirus Argus, Donald C. Behringer Jr.
Biological Sciences Theses & Dissertations
In 1999, I discovered the first virus known to be pathogenic to any species of lobster. HLV-PA is a pathogenic herpes-like virus that infects juvenile Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, in the waters off south Florida (USA), and it alters the behavior and ecology of this species in fundamental ways. Gross signs of HLV-PA infection are lethargy, morbidity, cessation of molting, and discolored, “milky” hemolymph that does not clot. HLV-PA infects the hemocytes of host lobsters, specifically the hyalinocytes and semi-granulocytes, but not the granulocytes. When hemolymph from infected donors was injected into healthy juvenile lobsters, 90% of the …
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 …