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Suspension feeding in larval crabs (Carcinus maenas)

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2009

Jan Robert Factor
Affiliation:
Division of Natural Sciences, State University of New York at Purchase, Purchase, New York 10577, USA
Barbara L. Dexter
Affiliation:
Division of Natural Sciences, State University of New York at Purchase, Purchase, New York 10577, USA

Extract

First-stage zoeal larvae of the green (shore) crab, Carcinus maenas (Crustacea: Brachyura: Portunidae), ingested three types of particles offered in sea-water suspensions. In experiments using two types of fluorescent particles (1–2 µm and 1–7 µm ) and living Dunaliella tertiolecta cells (5–7 µm), particles were ingested in at least 40% of the zoeae examined with brightfield, darkfield, and epifluorescence microscopy. These results suggest that green crab larvae may be capable of utilizing planktonic particles in the size range of bacteria, small algal cells, and organically-enriched detrital particles in their natural diet.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom 1993

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