title: The influence of substrate material on ascidian larval settlement.
abstract: Submerged man-made structures present novel habitat for marine organisms and often host communities that differ from those on natural substrates. Although many factors are known to contribute to these differences, few studies have directly examined the influence of substrate material on organism settlement. We quantified larval substrate preferences of two species of ascidians, Ciona intestinalis (cryptogenic, formerly C. intestinalis type B) and Botrylloides violaceus (non-native), on commonly occurring natural (granite) and man-made (concrete, high-density polyethylene, PVC) marine materials in laboratory trials. Larvae exhibited species-specific settlement preferences, but generally settled more often than expected by chance on concrete and HDPE. Variation in settlement between materials may reflect preferences for rougher substrates, or may result from the influence of leached chemicals on ascidian settlement. These findings indicate that an experimental plate material can influence larval behavior and may help us understand how substrate features may contribute to differences in settlement in the field.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 46 College Road, Durham, NH 03824, United States. Electronic address: ali269@wildcats.unh.edu.
authors.forename: Anna L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Chase
authors.affiliation: Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, University of New Hampshire, 24 Colovos Road, Durham, NH 03824, United States.
authors.forename: Jennifer A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Dijkstra
authors.affiliation: Department of Biological Sciences, University of New Hampshire, 46 College Road, Durham, NH 03824, United States.
authors.forename: Larry G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Harris
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002938:Ciona intestinalis; D017753:Ecosystem; D007814:Larva
keywords: Artificial substrate; Ascidians; Botrylloides violaceus; Ciona intestinalis; Larval substrate preference; Surface roughness