Short Communication

Trophic cues as possible triggers of mussel larval settlement in southeastern Brazil

¹ Institut des sciences de la mer, Université du Québec à Rimouski, 310 allée des Ursulines, Rimouski, Québec G5L 3A1, Canada
² Universidade de São Paulo, Centro de Biologia Marinha (CEBIMar/USP), Rod. Manoel Hipólito do Rego, km 131.5 11600-000, São Sebastião, São Paulo, Brazil

^* Corresponding author: ines.agravasconcelosleal@uqar.ca

Handling Editor: Simon Morley

Received: 15 December 2017
Accepted: 11 July 2018

Abstract

Oligotrophic conditions may impose a nutritional challenge for the larval and early post-larval development of bivalves during the search for a suitable benthic habitat. Here we investigated what settlement cues might be important for mytilid populations in southeastern Brazil. Our results point to a trophic trigger mediating larval settlement that may include an effect of saturated fatty acids, probably linked to organic detritus and bacterial production deriving from terrestrial inputs. The prevalence of drifting in this population suggests it may be a strategy for individuals to delay final settlement until encountering favorable trophic environmental conditions.