Egg Signals in American Lobster
Full Title
'Egg Signals': Embryonic chemical signals and their potential effect on maternal thermal preference and hatch in American lobster Homarus americanus
Goal
Explore how potential chemo-active compounds produced and released from egg clutches may influence the thermal preferences of both early- and late-stage ovigerous American lobsters.
Project Period
2022-2023
Investigators
- Jason Goldstein
- Benjamin Gutzler
- Steven Jury
Activities
- Explore the effects of egg removal on control-stage matched ovigerous females in a behavioral assay chamber to determine changes in activity and temperature preference in early-stage versus late-stage ovigerous females.
- Determine and characterize the possible presence of amino acids and peptides in water from egg masses versus control (non-ovigerous female) water, and from water with crushed eggs from early-stage and late-stage ovigerous females.
Results
This project contributes to an improved understanding of reproductive chemical signaling between developing eggs and maternal behavior, and how this may affect larval-release habitats for American lobster. These results will allow us to better pinpoint how maternal behavior may modulate hatching locations and to what degree that is relevant for subsequent bio-physical modeling efforts for lobster stocks in the Gulf of Maine.
Partners
- Wells Reserve
- St. Joseph's College of Maine
Funding
$4,400 from Maine Sea Grant