Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

SS24 The Ecology of Pelagic Gelatinous Zooplankton

Date: Monday, February 12, 2001, Time: 2:00:00 PM

Location: Acoma/Zuni/Tesuque

Miller, R, L, Temple University, Philadelphia, USA, starfish@astro.ocis.temple.edu

Gorsky, G, , Observatoire Oceanologique, Villefranche-Sur-Mer, France, gorsky@obs-vlfr.fr

FERTILIZATION SUCCESS OF THE LARVACEAN, OIKOPLEURA DIOICA IN THE LABORATORY.

All studies of fertilization success in marine invertebrates have obtained results using free-spawning benthic organisms, especially sea urchins. In a benthic environment, bottom irregularities, including the spawning organisms, play a role in the generation of turbulence in the local flow regime (Denny, 1998). Fertilization success also depends on gamete characteristics (examples: larger eggs are better targets for sperm; eggs are much longer-lived than sperm) as well as adult behaviors during spawning. In general, fertilization success in the field is low and often much less than 1 percent. A large number of marine organisms that free-spawn are holoplanktonic and are generally less exposed to surface mixing conditions. No fertilization success studies have been reported using these organisms. Our studies suggest that fertilization success in the holoplanktonic larvacean O. dioica is similar to that of benthic organisms. But fertilization success in O. dioica appears to be enhanced by additional factors: timed vertical migration of spawning adults; adult behavior that increases distribution and dispersion of sperm; and the release by unfertilized eggs of a potent sperm attractant.

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Aquatic Sciences Meeting, Albuquerque 2001

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