Abstract
Larval Tisbe holothuriae Humes exposed to anionic detergent (0.5 mg l-1 sodium dodecyl benzene sulphonate) were found to survive better than control larvae. The detergent appears to enhance viability by relaxing inhibitory interactions between nauplii. This conclusion is inferred from the following experimental observations: (1) crowding depresses larval viability; (2) the effect of crowding on viability is indirect, and results from behavioural changes which reduce contact with food; (3) detergent exposure delays or suppresses the behavioural response to crowding. The nature of the interactions which modify behaviour is unknown, but evidence suggests that close encounters between nauplii are important, and that they may lead to the impairment of distance-chemoreception. Naupliar antagonism could have evolved as a mechanism for staggering larval development or as a means of reducing the relative fitness of neighbouring individuals.
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Brand, G.W. Effect of crowding on larval viability in Tisbe holothuriae (Copepoda: Harpacticoida). Mar. Biol. 88, 67–72 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393045
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00393045