Primary settlement of Perna perna (L.) on littoral seaweeds on St. Croix Island

Beckley, L.E. (1979) Primary settlement of Perna perna (L.) on littoral seaweeds on St. Croix Island. South African Journal of Zoology, 14 (3). p. 171.

Preview

PDF - Published Version Download (94kB) | Preview

Abstract

Monthly samples of Gelidium pristoides were collected and all the P. perna in these samples were counted and measured. Samples from a sheltered site had on average more P. perna juveniles (10/g dry mass G. pristoides ) than samples from exposed sites (2/g dry mass G. pristoides ), where other seaweeds provide more easily accessible substrate for primary settlement. It is suggested that primary settlement of mussels on seaweed should be taken into consideration when drawing up management programmes, for seaweed harvesting.