Degrading mangrove leaves of Rhizophora mangle Linne provide a natural cuefor settlement and metamorphosis of the upside down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana Bigelow
J. Fleck et Wk. Fitt, Degrading mangrove leaves of Rhizophora mangle Linne provide a natural cuefor settlement and metamorphosis of the upside down jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana Bigelow, J EXP MAR B, 234(1), 1999, pp. 83-94
Citations number
50
Categorie Soggetti
Aquatic Sciences
Journal title
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY
Planula larvae of the tropical jellyfish Cassiopea xamachana Bigelow settle
and metamorphose on submerged, degrading leaves of the Red Mangrove Rhizop
hora mangle Linne. Other substrata from the habitat were not settled by the
larvae in statistically significant numbers. Planulae preferred the shady
side of the leaves, as found in situ, for settlement. Polyps already on the
leaves had no influence on settlement behavior of new larvae. Antibiotic t
reatment of deteriorating mangrove leaves resulted in a significant decreas
e of the inductive capacity. Boiling of the leaves significantly reduced th
e number of settled and metamorphosed larvae implying denaturation of the n
atural inducer. Exposure of leaf fragments in dialysis tubing revealed that
the natural cue is water-soluble and smaller than 12 kD. The results of th
is study indicate that marine bacteria are involved in the production of at
least one peptidic inducer originating from the decomposing mangrove leave
s. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.