Small-scale spatial variation in population- and individual-level reproductive parameters of the blue-legged hermit crab Clibanarius tricolor.

ABSTRACT: Management of the few regulated ornamental fisheries relies on inadequate information about the life history of the target species. Herein, we investigated the reproductive biology of the most heavily traded marine invertebrate in the western Atlantic; the blue-legged hermit crab Clibanarius tricolor. We report on density, individual-level, and population-level reproductive parameters in 14 populations spanning the Florida Keys. In C. tricolor, abundance, population-level, and individual-level reproductive parameters exhibited substantial small-scale spatial variation in the Florida Keys. For instance, the proportion of brooding females varied between 10-94% across localities. In females, average (±SD) fecundity varied between 184 (±54) and 614 (±301) embryos crab-1 across populatio

SUBMITTER: Baeza JA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5314957 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature