I am searching studies that assessed the relative importance of settlement vs. post-settlement processes on sessile invertebrates in tropical coral reefs. Is it possible to predict survival rates and future distribution by analyzing settlement numbers?
Many thanks in advance
To answer the second part of your question:
There is often a sharp decline in the number of newly settled recruits shortly after settlement.
e.g. Mos, B., Cowden, K.L., Nielsen, S.J., Dworjanyn, S.A., 2011. Do Cues Matter? Highly Inductive Settlement Cues Don't Ensure High Post-Settlement Survival in Sea Urchin Aquaculture. PLoS ONE. 6, e28054.
However it is often not clear what causes these declines (predation, competition, juvenile quality, ect.). Unless the main driver for post-settlement mortality is known, it will be very difficult to predict survival rates from settlement numbers. You might find this review useful as it discusses these issues.
Hunt, H.L., Scheibling, R.E., 1997. Role of early post-settlement mortality in recruitment of benthic marine invertebrates. Marine Ecology-Progress Series. 155, 269-301.
Hi Benjamin,
thanks for your suggestions. I'll have a look at them. Do you know if there is a ratio (or range) of how many of the freshly settled recruits make it to a certain time point (reproductive state, 1 year, etc.)?
In my experience the greatest mortalities (generally 50-60% mortality of newly settled recruits) occur in the first 2-4 weeks following settlement (e.g. Mos et al., 2011) although I have noticed very similar time frames for other marine invertebrates in the literature. After this, mortality is generally low.
A paper that followed survival of sea urchins in culture and gives survival/mortality rates for each stage until the adult stage is:
Grosjean, P., Spirlet, C., Gosselin, P., Vaitilingon, D., Jangoux, M., 1998. Land-based, closed-cycle echiniculture of Paracentrotus lividus (Lamarck) (Echinoidea : Echinodermata): A long-term experiment at a pilot scale. Journal of Shellfish Research. 17, 1523-1531.
However it may not be suitable to suggest that mortality rates are similar in natural habitats because sea urchins in culture don't experience predation or other factors that can increase or decrease survival.
Thanks again. These numbers sound very interesting. But I am more interested in sessile Invertebrates. Would you think that their mortality rates are the same, higher or lower? And why?
Possibly higher than sea urchins in culture because sessile invertebrates cannot move into crevices or other structures, and are therefore vulnerable to predation, dislodgement by grazers, strong water currents or wave action and exposure due to tides (including strong light and heat). However survival is probably similar for most marine invertebrates in natural systems because, of the hundreds to millions of larvae produced by a female, survival only needs to be very low to maintain species. (i.e. two individuals (out of a lifetime of spawns) which make it to reproductive age will replace their parents and keep a population stable).
Perhaps more useful to you will be this review on survival of benthic marine invertebrates that includes some sessile species.
Gosselin, L.A., Qian, P.Y., 1997. Juvenile mortality in benthic marine invertebrates. Marine Ecology-Progress Series. 146, 265-282.
In considering post-settlement survival rates, it may be worth also considering the general ecological theories behind why low survival occurs. There has been much debate over which processes are most important in determining recruitment of marine invertebrates in marine systems, primarily the number of larvae that settle (pre-settlement processes) verses the survival of newly settled recruits (post-settlement processes). A useful reference for this is:
Underwood, A.J., Keough, M.J., 2001. Supply-Side Ecology: The Nature and Consequences of variations in Recruitment of Intertidal Organisms. in: Bertness, M.D., Gaines, S.D., Hay, M.E. (Eds.), Marine Community Ecology. Sinauer Associates, Sunderland, pp. 183
Dear Benjamin,
very helpful your suggestions, thanks! Particularly the review by Gosselin & Qian.
I also found several articles on post-settlement mortality for corals, however, other non-coral sessile reef invertebrates haven't been considered thoroughly.
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