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Summary: @CSIROAustralia1997 Mar FreshwaterRes.,1997,48,121-72'7
Role of mangrove habitat asa nursery for juvenile spiny lobster,
Panulirus argus,in Belize
CharlesA. AcostaAandMark J. Butler IV
. Department of Biological Sciences,OId Dominion University, Norfotk, VA23529, USA
^Address
for correspondence:Wildlife Consenation Society,PO Box 2310,Belize City, Betize
Abstract. The useof mangroveproprootsandassociatedcorallinehabitatsby Caribbeanspiny
lobsterswasinvestigatedneartwo typesof mangroveislandsin Belize.Spinylobsterssheltered
amongmangroveproproots,in undercutpeatbanksandundercoralsnearislands,andtheyranged
in sizefrom newlyrecruitedjuvenilesto subadults.Lobstersprefenedto shelterunderlargestony
corals,buttheiruseof mangroveproproots ndundercutpeatbanksincreasedwhenthedensityof
coralswas low. Den residencetime and distancemovedwithin a site were similar at islands
isolatedby deep water channelsand islandsseparatedby shallow seagrassbeds,but as a
consequenceof high immigrationrates,populationsizeswere highestnear shallow islands.
Predationon newly settledjuvenileswasgreaterin seagrassandcoralcrevicesthanin mangrove
proproots,whereasthesurvivalof largerjuvenileswashigherin mangrovesandcoralpatchreefs
than in seagrass.Theseresultssuggestthat mangrovehabitatsmay functionas a nurseryfor
juvenile spinylobstersbut thatthe useof this habitatdependson sheltercharacteristicsandthe
isolationof islands.
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