Document Type
Article
Department/Program
Virginia Institute of Marine Science
Publication Date
1997
Journal
Journal Of Shellfish Research
Volume
16
Issue
1
First Page
125
Last Page
128
Abstract
Settlement of larval oysters, Crassostrea virginica, with respect to upper and lower surfaces of natural substrates, was studied in the field and in the laboratory. Enclosures were used to retain pediveligers of Crassostrea under controlled field conditions: until they settled. About 62% of these larvae settled onto rough (outer) surfaces of natural oyster shell substrate; this closely marched the proportion of substrate oriented with the rough surface downward. In the laboratory, about 83% of larvae settled onto the lower surfaces of similar shell substrates, in the absence of light, regardless of how the shell substrate was positioned. Both field and laboratory results suggest that geotaxis is a stronger settlement orientation cue than either phototaxis or rugotaxis, in Crassostrea.
Keywords
Crassostrea Virginica; Larvae; Settlement; Geotaxis
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Baker, Patrick, Settlement Site Selection By Oyster Larvae, Crassostrea Virginica: Evidence For Geotaxis (1997). Journal Of Shellfish Research, 16(1), 125-128.
https://scholarworks.wm.edu/vimsarticles/498
