Shelter preference in captive juveniles of European spiny lobster <Emphasis Type="Italic">Palinurus elephas</Emphasis> (Fabricius, 1787) |
| |
Authors: | Michele Gristina F Fiorentino G Garofalo F Badalamenti |
| |
Institution: | (1) IAMC-CNR, via L. Vaccara 61, 91026 Mazara del Vallo (TP), Italy |
| |
Abstract: | Physical shelter features (e.g. shape, size and substrate slope) were tested in the laboratory to evaluate the preferences
of juveniles of European spiny lobster, Palinurus elephas. Tethering experiments to assess whether substrate slope affects the vulnerability of juveniles to predation were also performed.
Our results showed that: (1) semi-circular dens were significantly preferred over square and circular shapes; (2) when not
disturbed by a predator, lobsters sheltered in holes with a diameter closely related to their own size, while in the presence
of a potential predator lobsters showed no significant preference for a particular shelter size; (3) lobsters significantly
preferred dens excavated on sub-vertical (35°) substrates over those excavated on vertical ones (90°); (4) individual lobsters
tethered on vertical substrates were subject to greater predation activity than those tethered on horizontal structures. In
conclusion, the present study contributes to the understanding of how physical properties of shelters affect the choice of
P. elephas juveniles, enhancing their protection and survival rate. |
| |
Keywords: | |
本文献已被 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|