GROWTH RATE AND REPRODUCTIVE CONDITION OF THE BARNACLE CONCHODERMA VIRGATUM ON GRAVID LEATHERBACK SEA TURTLES IN CARIBBEAN WATERS

Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) nesting at regular time intervals on Sandy Point, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, provided an opportunity to obtain multiple measurements of Conchoderma virgatum, a pedunculate epibiotic cirriped. Mean capitular length for gravid C. virgatum was 12.4 mm...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of crustacean biology 1987-01, Vol.7 (4), p.682-690
Main Authors: Eckert, Karen L., Eckert, Scott A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Animal and plant ecology
Animal, plant and microbial ecology
Animals
Autoecology
Biological and medical sciences
Biology
Conchoderma virgatum
Crustaceans
Dermochelys coriacea
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Inflorescences
Interval estimators
Marine
Marine fishes
Nesting tables
Population growth rate
Protozoa. Invertebrata
Sea turtles
Trajectories
Turtles
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Summary:Leatherback sea turtles (Dermochelys coriacea) nesting at regular time intervals on Sandy Point, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands, provided an opportunity to obtain multiple measurements of Conchoderma virgatum, a pedunculate epibiotic cirriped. Mean capitular length for gravid C. virgatum was 12.4 mm (SD = 1.8, range 8.8-15.9 mm). A growth curve was predicted after fitting paired measurements (capture and recapture) from 43 individuals to a von Bertalanffy growth interval equation. Estimates of asymptotic length and intrinsic growth rate were made using nonlinear least-squares regression procedures. The predicted asymptotic size of 14.6-mm capitular length is considerably less than that reported elsewhere for the species. It is possible that stress associated with the terrestrial nesting phase of the host prevented the barnacles from attaining full growth potential. Considerable plasticity in both maximum size and intrinsic growth rate may exist between populations exposed to different physio-ecological regimes.
ISSN:0278-0372
1937-240X
DOI:10.1163/193724087X00423