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Blue crab; megalopae; first juvenile instar; habitat selection; Zostera marina; Crassostrea virginica; sand; mud
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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Substrate Selection By Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Megalopae And First Juvenile Instars, J Van Montfrans, Ch Ryer, R J. Orth
Substrate Selection By Blue Crab Callinectes Sapidus Megalopae And First Juvenile Instars, J Van Montfrans, Ch Ryer, R J. Orth
VIMS Articles
Various marine and estuarine species utilize chemical cues during settlement. We investigated responses by megalopae and first juvenile (J1) blue crabs to common Chesapeake Bay substrates in mesocosm and field experiments. Mesocosm trials examined responses of megalopae or J1 crabs to sand, marsh mud, live oysters Crassostrea virginica, sun-bleached oyster shell, eel grass Zostera marina and artificial seagrass in replicate 160 l tanks. Either 10 megalopae or J1 crabs isolated in each of 6 substrates were allowed total access after acclimation to test the null hypothesis of equal distribution among substrates after 13 h. Thirty-five percent of megalopae were recovered …