The senses and environmental cues used by marine larvae of fish and decapod crustaceans to find tropical coastal ecosystems

Abstract

Almost all demersal tropical teleost fishes have pelagic larvae that may disperse, in common with most tropical marine decapod larvae. The degree to which behavior and sensory abilities of the larvae influence or control dispersal, and thus the spatial scale of connectivity, is largely unknown, but emerging evidence indicates that this influence is large. Until recently, the established opinion was that the sensory abilities of tropical larval fishes and decapods were mainly irrelevant for the location of the first benthic settlement habitat. However, an increasing number of studies show that pre-settlement coral reef fishes are not only capable swimmers but also show directed swimming in relation to the location of nearby relevant habitat. Many species of tropical decapod larvae and postlarvae also seem capable of detecting environmental habitat cues and may use this ability to move toward a suitable habitat. In this chapter, we review studies on the topics of senses and environmental cues used by marine fish and decapod crustacean larvae to find tropical coastal ecosystems. © 2009 Springer Science+Business Media B.V.