Effects of Reproduction upon Molting and Growth in Female American Lobsters (Homarus americanus)

Abstract

American lobster (Homarus americanus) females characteristically extrude eggs (E) in the summer of the year following a summer or autumn molt (M), but young females may extrude in the same year. The subsequent M is delayed until after hatching, resulting in the former case in a 2-yr reproductive molt cycle, measuring from M to M. Adult female lobsters were exposed to periods of short days (8 h light: 16 h dark) followed by long day onset (L) (16 h light: 8 h dark) at different times with respect to M, or as controls were kept under continuous long-day conditions. In this way were generated molt cycles with delayed or undelayed extrusions, as well as ones with incomplete vitellogeneses resulting from too-long delayed L, and molt cycles in which vitrellogenesis did not begin (control group). Delayed L results in delayed E and M, as measured either in days or in day-degrees above 6 °C. An incompleted vitellogenesis following a too-long delayed L changes neither the duration of the molt cycle nor its characteristic positive correlation with female size; the duration of molt cycles containing either delayed or undelayed E appears in contrast to become independent of size. Intermolt intervals following prior E are shorter than those following anovulatory cycles. Retention of the clutch to hatching is associated with an additional increment to the intermolt interval. The results suggest that following E, a "reproductive" program replaces the "somatic" program of control of molt cycle duration. Incompleted vitellogeneses are associated with significantly smaller molt increments and growth rates than in the evidently avitellogenic continuous long-day control group, even though intermolt duration and its relation to size remain the same. Growth rates of molt cycles containing incompleted vitellogeneses are significantly higher than ones containing E only if that is delayed. Differential dependence of molt cycle duration and growth rate measures upon size and temperature indicate that molting and growth are distinct and rather independently controlled processes in adult lobsters, however tightly linked they may be in juveniles. Implications for molting and reproduction in the natural environment are discussed.