FAU Institutional Repository http://purl.fcla.edu/fau/fauir This paper was submitted by the faculty of FAU’s Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute. Notice: ©1994 Elsevier Ltd. The final published version of this manuscript is available at http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/01695347 and may be cited as: Young, C. M. (1994). Marine larval ecology gets a meeting of its own. Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 9(3), 84-85. doi:10.1016/0169-5347(94)90200-3 NEWS & COMMENT ~ ~f;;)7 \ of genetic material which have withstood Jefferson, G.T. and O'Brien, SJ. (1992) Proc Considering that the first field exper­ the ravages of time. Nat/Acad. Sci. USA 89, 9769-9773 iment on external fertilization was pub­ 4 Hagelberg, E.et al. (1991) Phi/os. Trans. R. Soc lished just eight years ago'', it is remark­ Adrian M. lister LondonSer. B 333, 399-407 able indeed that all but one of the papers 5 Loy, T.H. (1992) Ancient DNA Newsl. 1/2,20-21 in this symposium relied heavily on field Dept of Biology,MedawarBuilding, 6 Higuchi, RG., Bowman, B., Freiberger, M., UniversityCollege London, GowerStreet, Ryder, O.A.and Wilson, A.c. (1984) Nature312, methods. London, UK WCJE 6BT 282-284 7 Golenberg, E.M.(1991) Phi/os. Trans. R. Soc Larval ecology of Georges Bank References LondonSer. B 333,419-427 A symposium on the larval ecology I Paabo, S., Wayne, R and Thomas, R (1992) 8 Cano, RJ., Poinar, H.N.,Pieniazek, NJ., Acra, of Georges Bank was organized by Scott Ancient DNANewsl. 1/1,4-5 A. and Poinar, G.O. (1993) Nature363, 536-538 Gallager (Woods Hole Oceanographic In­ 2 Hoss, M. and Piiiibo, S. (1993) NucleicAcids 9 Lindahl, T. (1993) Nature362,709-715 stitution, Woods Hole, MA, USA). Georges Res. 21,3913-3914 10 Lindahl, T. and Poinar, G. (1993) Nature365, Bank, which lies off the coast of New 3 Janczewski, D.N.,Yuhki, N., Gilbert, D.A., 700 England, USA, holds special interest for larval ecologists not only because the recruitment problems there have fish­ eries applications, but also because the Marine larval ecology gets a meeting US National Science Foundation has ident­ ified this region as the first to be studied of its own intensively under the GLOBEC (global ecosystem dynamics and coupling) in­ itiative. The symposium, like the GLOBEC ver the past two decades, the study papers often juxtaposed. This tactic was initiative, emphasized physical and bio­ Oof larvae of marine fishes and invert­ an unqualified success, and generated logical processes that determine popu­ ebrates has played an increasingly im­ much exchange between scientists who lation fluctuations of a small number of portant role in explaining spatial and seldom have opportunities to interact. species, including cod (Gadus morhua), temporal patterns of abundance in marine haddock (Malanogrammus aeglefinus) and animal populations. Attempts to study Fertilization ecology the copepods that form a food base for populations without considering larval An outstanding symposium on fertiliz­ larval fishes". Although the symposium stages have been criticized and defended', ation ecology, organized by Chris Petersen was disappointingly narrow in its taxo­ and new methods for studying larvae (College of the Atlantic, Bar Harbor, ME, nomic coverage, several papers had po­ under field conditions have gradually ap­ USA), highlighted the work of numerous tentially broad implications. Notably, John peared in the llterature--', As the com­ younger workers who dominate this cur­ Tremblay et al. (Halifax Fisheries Lab., munity of scientists investigating larvae rently hot research area. Forty years ago, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada) combined has grown and diversified, the number of Gunnar Thorson? strongly argued that oceanographic data with expected larval symposia addressing aspects of recruit­ virtually all eggs of marine animals are migrations to simulate the movements ment biology, larval ecology and life­ fertilized. This view was widely accepted of larval pools among adult aggregations .. history theory has also increased. Most until just a few years ago, when methods Lucid treatments of physical oceano­ of these have focused on narrow aspects were devised for measuring fertilization graphic processes as they pertain to lar­ of larval ecology, and most such sessions rates in situ 6,7 and hydrodynamic models vae were presented by David Mountain have been part of the meeting of a larger were used for predicting the dispersal of (NOM/NMFS Northeast Fishery Center, society. gametes in turbulent boundary layers''. North Falmouth, MA, USA), Ari Epstein More than one and a half centuries The symposium paid no homage to (Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, after marine invertebrate larvae were Thorson's opinion, exploring instead the Woods Hole, MA, USA) and others. dtscovered-, 1993 finally saw the formal evolutionary consequences of variable fer­ organization of an international meeting tilization success and the circumstances Chemical ecology focused on larval ecology as an inde­ that generate high and low fertilization The symposium on chemical ecology, pendent discipline. Organized by Steven in the field. Most colonies of a Caribbean organized by Dick Zimmer-Faust (Uni­ Morgan, Robert Cowen and William Wise octocoral produce no zygotes at all, high versity of South Carolina, Columbia, SC, (all of the Marine Science Dept at the State egg-production notwithstanding, and most USA), was refreshing in the breadth of its University of New York, Stony Brook, NY, embryos come from a minuscule portion coverage. Chemical cues have long been USA) the Larval Ecology Meetings were of the population (Dan Brazeau, University known to induce settlement in a variety held at Port Jefferson, NY, USA in August of Florida, Gainesville, FL, USA). By con­ of invertebrate larvae. Consequently, sev­ last year. The 180 participants came from trast, Douglas Shapiro et al. (Eastern eral recent symposia have dealt with throughout North America, as well as from Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI, USA) the search for specific cues and the several European countries, Australia and and Chris Petersen demonstrated that reef identities of the chemicals involved. This New Zealand. A major goal of the organ­ fish often achieve very high fertilization symposium, however, focused on issues izers was to bring together biologists rates by engaging in complex spawning less-commonly discussed. Nils Lindquist working on diverse taxa into a common behaviors. Don Levitan (University of Cali­ (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, forum where mutually interesting ques­ fornia, Davis, CA, USA) discussed prob­ NC, USA) and Dave Epel (Hopkins Marine tions could be discussed. About one third lems of scale in fertilization, and Russ Station, Pacific Grove, CA, USA) gave en­ of the participants were interested pri­ Babcock (Leigh Marine Laboratory, Uni­ lightening papers on the mechanisms by marily in fish, and the remaining two versity of Auckland, Warkworth, New which larvae and eggs protect them­ thirds in marine invertebrates. Papers Zealand) presented surprising evidence selves from predators and other mortality contributed were not split along taxo­ that some starfish can achieve high fer­ sources. Lindquist demonstrated that the nomic lines; instead, sessions were organ­ tilization rates even when males and fe­ use of secondary metabolites as defenses ized by topic, with fish and invertebrate males are separated by as much as 100m. is widespread among larvae, something REVIEWS that was not even suspected a decade programmed to collect plankton samples tempts to identify species-specific mark­ ago. Sarah Ann Woodin and Sara Lindsay at discrete intervals. Scott Gallager et ers by amplifying adult and larval DNA (University of South Carolina, Columbia, a/., also of Woods Hole Oceanographic with the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). SC, USA) discussed negative settlement Institution, demonstrated results from a A novel technique of marking larvae with cues in which larvae avoid sources of new underwater video system ('Video calcium-binding fluorescent stains was mortality, and Dan Rittschof et a/. (Duke Plankton Recorder') that can be towed presented by Bob Rowley (University of University Marine Laboratory, Beaufort, through the water column for sampling Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand). NC, USA) considered chemosensory capa­ the fine-scale distribution of zooplankton. With renewed emphasis on field stud­ bilities in the context of other stimuli Using this new sampling method, Gallager ies and a new arsenal of methods at its that larvae may experience. et al. were able to correlate larval distri­ disposal, the discipline of larval ecology butions with discrete water masses and stands poised for tremendous new de­ Techniques for larval ecologists observe the natural postures and orien­ velopments. The next meeting, which will Larval ecology has always suffered tations of various larval forms. Both of be renamed the Larval Biology Meeting from the technical difficulties of find­ these new sampling techniques hold to allow a broader scope, will be held in ing, sampling, identifying and observing much promise. the summer of 1995. microscopic animals adrift in the sea. Enzyme electrophoresis and various Many papers at the meeting introduced DNA techniques have been used for some CraigM. Young innovative techniques for overcoming time to infer larval dispersal among geo­ these logistical difficulties. Some were graphically isolated adult populations. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, elegantly simple (for example, Douglas An elegant eight-year study presented by 5600USHwy 1 N, Fort Pierce, FL 34946, USA. Shapiro et al. captured clouds of fish Christopher Todd and Walter Lambert gametes in plastic garbage bags to esti­ (Gatty Marine Laboratory, St Andrews, References mate egg and sperm numbers released in UK) showed little genetic variation among I Underwood, AJ. and Fairweather, P.G. (1989) isolated spawning events). Other methods populations of nudibranchs along a 1500 Trends Eeal. Evol. 4, 16--20 required expensive, newly engineered mile range, regardless of whether they 2 Olson, R.R.(1985) Ecology 66, 30-39 gadgetry. Cheryl Ann Butman (Woods developed directly or with dispersing 3 Levin, L.A.