Abstract
In broadcast spawners, low densities and poor spawning synchronization can reduce fertilization success. In wild populations, individuals in close proximity tend to spawn more synchronously than those further apart, sug- gesting that low spawner densities may reduce gamete pro- duction by lessening the efficacy of pheromone signalling. This study assessed the role of adult density in aggregation patterns and spawning synchronization in a semi-sessile, hermaphroditic scallop, Pecten fumatus. The study was carried out in Great Bay, Tasmania, Australia (147.335 W, 43.220 S) in 2010-2012 by assessing (1) the relationship between density, small-scale aggregation patterns and near- est neighbour distance (NND), (2) the temporal pattern of spawning synchronization, and (3) the effect of site density and conspecific proximity on the probability of spawn- ing. Densities observed in the field ranged from 1.455 to 0.021 ind m −2 . Sites with lower densities had less small- scale aggregation and greater NNDs. Patterns of small- scale aggregation and NNDs in P. fumatus were compara- ble to those observed in a gonochoristic species. Spawning synchronization was highly variable, ranging between 3.5
Published Version
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