Abundance and dispersal potential of horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) larvae in the Delaware estuary

被引：0
|
作者：
Mark L. Botton
Robert E. Loveland
机构：
[1] Fordham College at Lincoln Center,Department of Natural Sciences
[2] Rutgers-The State University,Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Cook College
[3] Rutgers-The State University,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Cook College
来源：
Estuaries | 2003年 / 26卷
关键词：
Wave Height; High Tide; Blue Crab; Horseshoe Crab; Larval Abundance;
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摘要：
The distribution, abundance, and dispersal patterns of horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) trilobite larvae were determined from 671 plankton tows taken near a spawning beach in lower Delaware Bay, New Jersey, in 1998 and 1999. In both years, peaks in larval abundance occurred during periods of rough surf (>30 cm wave heights). Planktonic larvae were significantly more abundant nocturnally than during the day, but there was no evidence of a lunar component to larval abundance. Larvae were strongly concentrated inshore; trilobites were 10–100 times more abundant in the immediate vicinity of the shoreline than they were 100–200 m offshore. The strong tendency ofLimulus larvae to remain close to the beach suggests that their capability for long-range dispersal between estuaries is extremely limited. We suggest that limited larval dispersal potential may help explain previously observed patterns of genetic variation among the Mid-Atlantic horseshoe crab populations.
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页码：1472 / 1479
页数：7
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