Behavioral tradeoff in estuarine larvae favors seaward migration over minimizing visibility to predators.

ABSTRACT: The ability of microscopic larvae to control their fate and replenish populations in dynamic marine environments has been a long-running topic of debate of central importance to understanding the ecology and evolution of life in the sea and managing resources in a changing global environment. After decades of research documenting behaviors that keep larvae close to natal populations, it is becoming apparent that larval behaviors in a broader spectrum of species promote long-distance migrations to offshore nursery grounds. Larvae must exert considerable control over their movements. We now show that larval emigration from estuaries is favored even over minimizing visibility to predators. An endogenous tidal vertical migration that would expedite seaward migration of Uca pugilator larvae was

SUBMITTER: Morgan SG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2224190 | biostudies-literature | 2008 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature