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Andrew G Jeffs - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The why, where, and how of Spiny Lobster aquaculture ( Panulirus ornatus )
2017Co-Authors: Gregory G. Smith, Andrew G Jeffs, Quinn P. Fitzgibbon, Stephen C. Battaglene, Cedric J. Simon, Evan F. Goulden, Dj Cundy, Chris G. CarterAbstract:Spiny Lobsters, also known as rock Lobsters, have a global distribution stretching from tropical to temperate climate zones, with more than 40 species commercially fished. Despite increased catch per unit effort in many fisheries, total landings have plateaued at 80,000 MT. A transitional Spiny Lobster aquaculture industry exists in Vietnam using wild caught puerulus or juveniles grown to market size in sea cages. Recently, seedstock of the preferred species, Panulirus ornatus, has become difficult to obtain with prices exceeding $US15 per puerulus. The preference for P. ornatus is due to high consumer demand, ease of post-larval culture, and a fast growth rate (1kg in 15-18 months). With consumer demand for Spiny Lobsters growing in Southeast Asia, there is interest in creating a sustainable hatchery source of Spiny Lobster seedstock. The larval cycle of up to 10 Spiny Lobster species have been completed in laboratory settings; however, until recently, replicating these results at a commercial scale has not been possible. The University of Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) has been working on Spiny Lobster larval culture for 18 years. During the last 6 years, IMAS scientists and research partners have focused on developing technology for commercial application for the culture of P. ornatus. There have been many obstacles in converting Spiny Lobster larval research to commercial production due to the species’ complex larval phase, requirement for high quality water, susceptibility to bacterial diseases, specific nutritional requirements, and lack of appropriate manufactured feeds and commercial scale culture systems. Focused research at IMAS has overcome many of these hurdles and has allowed consistent pilot scale production of seedstock. The next stage is to move from pilot scale operations at the IMAS to testing the technology in a commercial setting. The availability of commercially produced Spiny Lobster seedstock could have a role in progressing habitat restoration and intensive aquaculture programs.
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Lipid and fatty acid composition of likely zooplankton prey of Spiny Lobster (Jasus edwardsii) phyllosomas
Aquaculture Nutrition, 2014Co-Authors: Miao Wang, Ad Mackenzie, Andrew G JeffsAbstract:Several of the world's major Spiny Lobster fisheries, including Jasus edwardsii in Australasia, have gone into dramatic decline due to decreasing recruitment of their lecithotrophic postlarvae. There is evidence that the decline is related to poor nutritional condition of the postlarvae, especially lipid that is accumulated in large quantities during the preceding pelagic larval stage. Therefore, characterizing the lipid composition of the likely potential zooplankton prey of the larvae (phyllosomas) of Spiny Lobsters will provide new insights into their nutritional requirements. The lipid class and fatty acid composition of more than 30 species of likely zooplankton prey of the larvae of the Spiny Lobster, J. edwardsii, were determined. These results showed that most zooplankton prey had a high proportion of their lipid content as polar lipid (PL) (range of 9.4–94.8%, mean of 76.1 ± 2.6%). Zooplankton prey provide phyllosomas with polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) for growth and development, as well as a range of other important fatty acids that are accumulated as PL and used for fuelling the migration of the subsequent lecithotrophic postlarvae across the continental shelf. Overall, these results indicate that phyllosomas consume prey with wide ranging lipid content, but dominated by PL, and high in docosahexaenoic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid and the key fatty acids used for energy storage.
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Nutritional composition of potential zooplankton prey of Spiny Lobster larvae: a review
Reviews in Aquaculture, 2013Co-Authors: Miao Wang, Andrew G JeffsAbstract:Spiny Lobsters are one of the most valuable seafood products in the world. A major bottleneck to the development of commercial Spiny Lobster aquaculture is a lack of understanding of the natural diet and nutritional requirements of the larvae. Recent studies have identified the varied pelagic zooplankton prey of Spiny Lobster phyllosoma, which includes gelatinous taxa, such as ctenophores, jellyfish, salps, chaetognaths, polychaetes, siphonophores and radiolarians, as well as crustaceans, such as amphipods, copepods and krill. In light of these studies, the extensive range of published studies on the biochemical composition of zooplankton have been reviewed in an attempt to provide an initial indication of the possible nutritional requirements of Spiny Lobster phyllosoma, including protein, lipid, carbohydrate, ash and moisture content. The results indicate that protein is the predominant component in all taxonomic groups of potential prey, which is 46.7 ± 6.0% of dry mass (mean ± SE) in crustaceans and 18.3 ± 7.8% of dry mass in gelatinous zooplankton, followed by lipid, which is 23.8 ± 4.5% of dry mass in crustaceans and 5.3 ± 1.4% of dry mass in gelatinous zooplankton. Carbohydrate is 1.9 ± 0.1% of dry mass in crustaceans and 0.9 ± 0.1% of dry mass in gelatinous zooplankton. Despite the much lower nutrient and energy content of gelatinous zooplankton compared with crustaceans, feeding by phyllosoma on gelatinous zooplankton may provide them more readily accessible nutrients. The results indicate that Spiny Lobster phyllosoma have a high dietary requirement for protein.
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Genetic isolation between the western and eastern pacific populations of pronghorn Spiny Lobster panulirus penicillatus
PloS one, 2011Co-Authors: Seinen Chow, Andrew G Jeffs, Yoichi Miyake, Kooichi Konishi, Makoto Okazaki, Nobuaki Suzuki, Muhamad Fadry Abdullah, Hideyuki Imai, Toshie Wakabayasi, Mitsuo SakaiAbstract:The pronghorn Spiny Lobster, Panulirus penicillatus, is a circumtropical species which has the widest global distribution among all the species of Spiny Lobster, ranging throughout the entire Indo-Pacific region. Partial nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial DNA COI (1,142–1,207 bp) and 16S rDNA (535–546 bp) regions were determined for adult and phyllosoma larval samples collected from the Eastern Pacific (EP)(Galapagos Islands and its adjacent water), Central Pacific (CP)(Hawaii and Tuamotu) and the Western Pacific (WP)(Japan, Indonesia, Fiji, New Caledonia and Australia). Phylogenetic analyses revealed two distinct large clades corresponding to the geographic origin of samples (EP and CP+WP). No haplotype was shared between the two regional samples, and average nucleotide sequence divergence (Kimura's two parameter distance) between EP and CP+WP samples was 3.8±0.5% for COI and 1.0±0.4% for 16S rDNA, both of which were much larger than those within samples. The present results indicate that the Pacific population of the pronghorn Spiny Lobster is subdivided into two distinct populations (Eastern Pacific and Central to Western Pacific), with no gene flow between them. Although the pronghorn Spiny Lobster have long-lived teleplanic larvae, the vast expanse of Pacific Ocean with no islands and no shallow substrate which is known as the East Pacific Barrier appears to have isolated these two populations for a long time (c.a. 1MY).
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Optimal feed pellet size for culturing juvenile Spiny Lobster Jasus edwardsii (Hutton, 1875) in New Zealand
Aquaculture Research, 2002Co-Authors: James K. Sheppard, M. Bruce, Andrew G JeffsAbstract:There is intense international interest in the development of Spiny Lobster aquaculture and of particular interest is the development of artificial diets for Spiny Lobsters. However, there is little information on the feeding behaviour of Spiny Lobsters and their ability to handle and consume artificial feeds of different dimensions. Observations of the feeding behaviour of juveniles of the Spiny Lobster Jasus edwardsii in culture found that they waste significant amounts of food through externally fragmenting the feed pellets before sweeping particles into the mouth. The consumption efficiency of different sized pellets was found to change markedly with increasing size of the juvenile Lobsters. Up to 50% of artificial food was wasted by the inefficient feeding behaviour of the Lobsters. However, consumption of the feed could be reduced by as much as 19% by altering pellet size. These results indicate that the size of feed pellets, and their consistency and fragmentation characteristics, will be critical aspects of cost-effective feeding of cultured Spiny Lobsters.
Quinn P. Fitzgibbon - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The influence of flesh ingredients format and krill meal on growth and feeding behaviour of juvenile tropical Spiny Lobster Panulirus ornatus
Aquaculture, 2019Co-Authors: Gioele Marchese, Quinn P. Fitzgibbon, Andrew J. Trotter, Chris G. Carter, Clive M. Jones, Gregory G. SmithAbstract:One of the main challenges for Spiny Lobster aquaculture is the successful development of formulated feeds that are attractive, readily consumed by Lobsters and promote optimal growth and survival. In a 54-day growth trial, we investigated the performance of four moist formulated feeds containing A) non-homogenised flesh ingredients; B) fish meal only; C) 10% krill meal; or D) homogenised flesh ingredients; and a reference diet of shucked blue mussel (Mytilus galloprovincialis) flesh, on growth, nutritional condition and feeding behaviour of juvenile tropical Spiny Lobster (Panulirus ornatus) reared either communally or individually. Growth and survival achieved by Lobsters fed mussel were significantly higher than all other treatments. However, Lobsters fed the formulated feed containing 10% krill meal (treatment C) and reared communally had a significantly higher growth, survival and feeding performance when compared to the formulated feeds with inclusion of non-homogenised and homogenised flesh ingredients (treatments A and D). The highest levels of feed interaction and pellet consumption among the formulated feeds were also recorded for treatment C. We demonstrated that the inclusion of krill meal in formulated feeds provides a benefit when compared to the inclusion of the flesh ingredients. Flesh ingredient format (homogenised or non-homogenised) had no effect on growth performance of Lobsters, suggesting that the process of homogenisation of flesh ingredients does not provide any benefit in promoting feed consumption. Furthermore, time-series photography analysis trials showed that all the formulated feeds only promoted a feeding response within the first 2–3 h post-feeding, whereas mussel retained its attractiveness throughout the feeding period. These results suggest that the prolonged attractiveness remains an impediment for formulated feed performance in Lobster culture. The present study also showed that growth performance and feeding response were higher in Lobsters reared communally than individually. As observed in other Spiny Lobster species, it is likely that social interactions in communal housing may have provided cues that stimulated feeding responses and promoted higher growth rates.
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can metamorphosis survival during larval development in Spiny Lobster sagmariasus verreauxi be improved through quantitative genetic inheritance
BMC Genetics, 2018Co-Authors: Nguyen Hong Nguyen, Quinn P. Fitzgibbon, Jane Quinn, Greg Smith, S C Battaglene, Wayne KnibbAbstract:Background One of the major impediments to Spiny Lobster aquaculture is the high cost of hatchery production due to the long and complex larval cycle and poor survival during the many moult stages, especially at metamorphosis. We examined if the key trait of larval survival can be improved through selection by determining if genetic variance exists for this trait. Specifically, we report, for the first time, genetic parameters (heritability and correlations) for early survival rates recorded at five larval phases; early-phyllosoma stages (instars 1–6; S1), mid-phyllosoma stages (instars; 7–12; S2), late-phyllosoma stages (instars 13–17; S3), metamorphosis (S4) and puerulus stage (S5) in hatchery-reared Spiny Lobster Sagmariasus verreauxi.
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The why, where, and how of Spiny Lobster aquaculture ( Panulirus ornatus )
2017Co-Authors: Gregory G. Smith, Andrew G Jeffs, Quinn P. Fitzgibbon, Stephen C. Battaglene, Cedric J. Simon, Evan F. Goulden, Dj Cundy, Chris G. CarterAbstract:Spiny Lobsters, also known as rock Lobsters, have a global distribution stretching from tropical to temperate climate zones, with more than 40 species commercially fished. Despite increased catch per unit effort in many fisheries, total landings have plateaued at 80,000 MT. A transitional Spiny Lobster aquaculture industry exists in Vietnam using wild caught puerulus or juveniles grown to market size in sea cages. Recently, seedstock of the preferred species, Panulirus ornatus, has become difficult to obtain with prices exceeding $US15 per puerulus. The preference for P. ornatus is due to high consumer demand, ease of post-larval culture, and a fast growth rate (1kg in 15-18 months). With consumer demand for Spiny Lobsters growing in Southeast Asia, there is interest in creating a sustainable hatchery source of Spiny Lobster seedstock. The larval cycle of up to 10 Spiny Lobster species have been completed in laboratory settings; however, until recently, replicating these results at a commercial scale has not been possible. The University of Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) has been working on Spiny Lobster larval culture for 18 years. During the last 6 years, IMAS scientists and research partners have focused on developing technology for commercial application for the culture of P. ornatus. There have been many obstacles in converting Spiny Lobster larval research to commercial production due to the species’ complex larval phase, requirement for high quality water, susceptibility to bacterial diseases, specific nutritional requirements, and lack of appropriate manufactured feeds and commercial scale culture systems. Focused research at IMAS has overcome many of these hurdles and has allowed consistent pilot scale production of seedstock. The next stage is to move from pilot scale operations at the IMAS to testing the technology in a commercial setting. The availability of commercially produced Spiny Lobster seedstock could have a role in progressing habitat restoration and intensive aquaculture programs.
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seismic air gun exposure during early stage embryonic development does not negatively affect Spiny Lobster jasus edwardsii larvae decapoda palinuridae
Scientific Reports, 2016Co-Authors: Robert D Mccauley, Quinn P. Fitzgibbon, Jayson M SemmensAbstract:Marine seismic surveys are used to explore for sub-seafloor oil and gas deposits. These surveys are conducted using air guns, which release compressed air to create intense sound impulses, which are repeated around every 8–12 seconds and can travel large distances in the water column. Considering the ubiquitous worldwide distribution of seismic surveys, the potential impact of exposure on marine invertebrates is poorly understood. In this study, egg-bearing female Spiny Lobsters (Jasus edwardsii) were exposed to signals from three air gun configurations, all of which exceeded sound exposure levels (SEL) of 185 dB re 1 μPa2·s. Lobsters were maintained until their eggs hatched and the larvae were then counted for fecundity, assessed for abnormal morphology using measurements of larval length and width, tested for larval competency using an established activity test and measured for energy content. Overall there were no differences in the quantity or quality of hatched larvae, indicating that the condition and development of Spiny Lobster embryos were not adversely affected by air gun exposure. These results suggest that embryonic Spiny Lobster are resilient to air gun signals and highlight the caution necessary in extrapolating results from the laboratory to real world scenarios or across life history stages.
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Cardiorespiratory ontogeny and response to environmental hypoxia of larval Spiny Lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi
Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A Molecular & integrative physiology, 2015Co-Authors: Quinn P. Fitzgibbon, Nicole Ruff, Stephen C. BattagleneAbstract:Cardiorespiratory function is vital to an organism's ability to respond to environmental stress and analysis of cardiorespiratory capacity of species or life stages can elucidate vulnerability to climate change. Spiny Lobsters have one of the most complex pelagic larval life cycles of any invertebrate and recently there has been an unexplained decline in post-larval recruitment for a number of species. We conducted the first analysis of the larval ontogeny of oxygen consumption, heart rate, maxilla 2 ventilation rate and oxyregulatory capacity of the Spiny Lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi, to gain insight into their vulnerability to ocean change and to investigate life stage specific sensitivity to temperature-dependent oxygen limitation. In normoxia, heart and maxilla 2 ventilation rates increased in early larval development before declining, which we hypothesise is related to the transition from myogenic to neurogenic cardiac control. Maxilla 2 ventilation rate was sensitive to hypoxia at all larval stages, while heart rate was only sensitive to hypoxia in the late phyllosoma stages. Oxygen consumption conformed to environmental hypoxia at all larval stages. Spiny Lobster larvae have limited respiratory control due to immature gas exchange physiology, compounded by their exceptionally large size. The lack of oxyregulatory ability suggests that all development stages are vulnerable to changes in sea temperature and oxygen availability. The synergetic stressors of increased temperature and reduced dissolved oxygen in the marine environment will diminish Spiny Lobster larval performance, increasing the challenge to achieve their extended larval life cycle, which may contribute to declines in post-larval recruitment.
Stephen C. Battaglene - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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The why, where, and how of Spiny Lobster aquaculture ( Panulirus ornatus )
2017Co-Authors: Gregory G. Smith, Andrew G Jeffs, Quinn P. Fitzgibbon, Stephen C. Battaglene, Cedric J. Simon, Evan F. Goulden, Dj Cundy, Chris G. CarterAbstract:Spiny Lobsters, also known as rock Lobsters, have a global distribution stretching from tropical to temperate climate zones, with more than 40 species commercially fished. Despite increased catch per unit effort in many fisheries, total landings have plateaued at 80,000 MT. A transitional Spiny Lobster aquaculture industry exists in Vietnam using wild caught puerulus or juveniles grown to market size in sea cages. Recently, seedstock of the preferred species, Panulirus ornatus, has become difficult to obtain with prices exceeding $US15 per puerulus. The preference for P. ornatus is due to high consumer demand, ease of post-larval culture, and a fast growth rate (1kg in 15-18 months). With consumer demand for Spiny Lobsters growing in Southeast Asia, there is interest in creating a sustainable hatchery source of Spiny Lobster seedstock. The larval cycle of up to 10 Spiny Lobster species have been completed in laboratory settings; however, until recently, replicating these results at a commercial scale has not been possible. The University of Tasmania’s Institute of Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS) has been working on Spiny Lobster larval culture for 18 years. During the last 6 years, IMAS scientists and research partners have focused on developing technology for commercial application for the culture of P. ornatus. There have been many obstacles in converting Spiny Lobster larval research to commercial production due to the species’ complex larval phase, requirement for high quality water, susceptibility to bacterial diseases, specific nutritional requirements, and lack of appropriate manufactured feeds and commercial scale culture systems. Focused research at IMAS has overcome many of these hurdles and has allowed consistent pilot scale production of seedstock. The next stage is to move from pilot scale operations at the IMAS to testing the technology in a commercial setting. The availability of commercially produced Spiny Lobster seedstock could have a role in progressing habitat restoration and intensive aquaculture programs.
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Cardiorespiratory ontogeny and response to environmental hypoxia of larval Spiny Lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi
Comparative biochemistry and physiology. Part A Molecular & integrative physiology, 2015Co-Authors: Quinn P. Fitzgibbon, Nicole Ruff, Stephen C. BattagleneAbstract:Cardiorespiratory function is vital to an organism's ability to respond to environmental stress and analysis of cardiorespiratory capacity of species or life stages can elucidate vulnerability to climate change. Spiny Lobsters have one of the most complex pelagic larval life cycles of any invertebrate and recently there has been an unexplained decline in post-larval recruitment for a number of species. We conducted the first analysis of the larval ontogeny of oxygen consumption, heart rate, maxilla 2 ventilation rate and oxyregulatory capacity of the Spiny Lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi, to gain insight into their vulnerability to ocean change and to investigate life stage specific sensitivity to temperature-dependent oxygen limitation. In normoxia, heart and maxilla 2 ventilation rates increased in early larval development before declining, which we hypothesise is related to the transition from myogenic to neurogenic cardiac control. Maxilla 2 ventilation rate was sensitive to hypoxia at all larval stages, while heart rate was only sensitive to hypoxia in the late phyllosoma stages. Oxygen consumption conformed to environmental hypoxia at all larval stages. Spiny Lobster larvae have limited respiratory control due to immature gas exchange physiology, compounded by their exceptionally large size. The lack of oxyregulatory ability suggests that all development stages are vulnerable to changes in sea temperature and oxygen availability. The synergetic stressors of increased temperature and reduced dissolved oxygen in the marine environment will diminish Spiny Lobster larval performance, increasing the challenge to achieve their extended larval life cycle, which may contribute to declines in post-larval recruitment.
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Development and function of the filter-press in Spiny Lobster, Sagmariasus verreauxi, phyllosoma
Aquaculture, 2012Co-Authors: Cedric J. Simon, Chris G. Carter, Stephen C. BattagleneAbstract:Abstract Mass propagation of Spiny Lobster phyllosoma is a critical bottleneck for the development of Spiny Lobster aquaculture. Eastern Spiny Lobster Sagmariasus verreauxi has been identified as a good candidate for temperate culture with a relatively short life cycle lasting 6 to 8 months and 17 stages. We investigated the development and functionality of the filter-press of S. verreauxi phyllosoma to better understand the size and quantity of dietary particles ingested over the entire larval cycle. Filter-press morphometrics were obtained from live phyllosoma larvae throughout development, and filtration capacity was ascertained using fluorescent microspheres and the rare earth metal markers yttrium oxide and ytterbium oxide. The filter-press of phyllosoma larvae was fully functional from stage 3, fully developed from stage 4, and the numbers (8 to 50), lengths (79 to 384 μm), and widths (14.8 to 20.3 μm) of food grooves increased with the development stage to accommodate a larger volume of ingested food. In contrast, there was no change in the widths of the lower ampullary setae (1.28 ± 0.16 μm) or the widths of the gap between these setae (0.91 ± 0.07 μm). Lower ampullary setae were arranged in a single layer perpendicular to the food grooves and restricted the entry of food particles into the digestive gland. From stage 3, the filter-press selectively excluded more than 99% of particles of > 1 μm from reaching the digestive gland and demonstrated that only particles of ≤ 1 μm are available for digestion. In the absence of a gastric mill, phyllosoma larvae have no obvious structure for internally grinding prey and the present study shows that phyllosoma larvae are well adapted to feed from the body fluids of wild preys over their entire larval cycle. The results have important practical applications for the development of formulated feeds for Spiny Lobster larvae.
Jamie Bojko - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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white spot syndrome virus and the caribbean Spiny Lobster panulirus argus susceptibility and behavioral immunity
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 2019Co-Authors: Erica P Ross, Donald C. Behringer, Jamie BojkoAbstract:The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus argus is susceptible to infection by Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1), the only virus known to naturally infect any Lobster species. However, P. argus is able to mitigate PaV1 transmission risk by avoiding infected individuals. P. argus may also be susceptible to another lethal virus, White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV). WSSV has not been documented in wild populations of Spiny Lobsters, but has been experimentally transmitted to six other Lobster species from the genus Panulirus. Although WSSV has been detected intermittently in wild populations of shrimp in the Caribbean region, the risk to P. argus has not been evaluated. Potential emergence of the disease could result in fisheries losses and ecological disruption. To assess the risk to P. argus, we tested its susceptibility to WSSV via injection and waterborne transmission. We also tested whether healthy Lobsters can detect and avoid conspecifics with qPCR-quantifiable WSSV infections. We found P. argus to be highly susceptible to WSSV via intramuscular injection, with mortality reaching 88% four weeks post inoculation. Panulirus argus was also susceptible to WSSV via waterborne transmission, but WSSV burden was low after four weeks via qPCR. Behavioral assays indicated that P. argus can detect and avoid conspecifics infected with WSSV and the avoidance response was strongest for the most heavily infected individuals - a response comparable to PaV1-infected conspecifics. Panulirus argus is the first Spiny Lobster found to be susceptible to WSSV in the Americas, but it is possible that a generalized avoidance response by healthy Lobsters against infected conspecifics provides a behavioral defense and may reduce WSSV infection potential and prevalence. Preliminary evidence suggests that the infiltration of hemolymph constituents into the urine may be the source of the avoidance behavior and could therefore extend to other directly transmitted pathogens in Spiny Lobster populations preventing them from becoming common in their population.
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white spot syndrome virus and the caribbean Spiny Lobster panulirus argus susceptibility and behavioral immunity
bioRxiv, 2018Co-Authors: Erica P Ross, Donald C. Behringer, Jamie BojkoAbstract:Abstract The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus argus is susceptible to infection by Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1), the only virus known to naturally infect any Lobster species. However, P. argus is able to mitigate PaV1 transmission risk by avoiding infected individuals. White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) has a particularly wide host range. WSSV has not been documented in wild populations of Spiny Lobsters, but has been experimentally transmitted to six other Lobster species from the genus Panulirus spp. While WSSV has been detected intermittently in wild populations of shrimp in the Caribbean region, the risk to P. argus has not been evaluated. Potential emergence of the disease could result in fisheries losses and ecological disruption. To assess the risk to P. argus, we tested its susceptibility to WSSV via injection and waterborne transmission. We also tested whether healthy Lobsters can detect and avoid conspecifics with qPCR-quantifiable WSSV infections. We found P. argus to be highly susceptible to WSSV via intramuscular injection, with mortality reaching 88% four weeks post inoculation. Panulirus argus was also susceptible to WSSV via waterborne transmission, but WSSV burden was low after four weeks via qPCR. Behavioral assays indicated that P. argus can detect and avoid conspecifics infected with WSSV and the avoidance response was strongest for the most heavily infected individuals – a response comparable to PaV1-infected conspecifics. Panulirus argus is the first Spiny Lobster found to be susceptible to WSSV in the Americas, but it is possible that a generalized avoidance response by healthy Lobsters against infected conspecifics provides a behavioral defense and may reduce WSSV infection potential and prevalence. Such avoidance may extend to other directly transmitted pathogens in Spiny Lobster populations preventing them from becoming common in their population. Author Summary Erica P. Ross is a PhD candidate at the University of Florida, studying the disease ecology of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster, with a focus on chemosensory ecology. Donald C. Behringer is an associate professor at the University of Florida and his research focuses on disease ecology, epidemiology, and fishery ecology, with a focus on crustaceans and other marine invertebrates. Jamie Bojko received his PhD from the University of Leeds and is currently a post-doctorate associate at the University of Florida studying experimental and systemic crustacean pathology.
Donald C. Behringer - One of the best experts on this subject based on the ideXlab platform.
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white spot syndrome virus and the caribbean Spiny Lobster panulirus argus susceptibility and behavioral immunity
Journal of Invertebrate Pathology, 2019Co-Authors: Erica P Ross, Donald C. Behringer, Jamie BojkoAbstract:The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus argus is susceptible to infection by Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1), the only virus known to naturally infect any Lobster species. However, P. argus is able to mitigate PaV1 transmission risk by avoiding infected individuals. P. argus may also be susceptible to another lethal virus, White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV). WSSV has not been documented in wild populations of Spiny Lobsters, but has been experimentally transmitted to six other Lobster species from the genus Panulirus. Although WSSV has been detected intermittently in wild populations of shrimp in the Caribbean region, the risk to P. argus has not been evaluated. Potential emergence of the disease could result in fisheries losses and ecological disruption. To assess the risk to P. argus, we tested its susceptibility to WSSV via injection and waterborne transmission. We also tested whether healthy Lobsters can detect and avoid conspecifics with qPCR-quantifiable WSSV infections. We found P. argus to be highly susceptible to WSSV via intramuscular injection, with mortality reaching 88% four weeks post inoculation. Panulirus argus was also susceptible to WSSV via waterborne transmission, but WSSV burden was low after four weeks via qPCR. Behavioral assays indicated that P. argus can detect and avoid conspecifics infected with WSSV and the avoidance response was strongest for the most heavily infected individuals - a response comparable to PaV1-infected conspecifics. Panulirus argus is the first Spiny Lobster found to be susceptible to WSSV in the Americas, but it is possible that a generalized avoidance response by healthy Lobsters against infected conspecifics provides a behavioral defense and may reduce WSSV infection potential and prevalence. Preliminary evidence suggests that the infiltration of hemolymph constituents into the urine may be the source of the avoidance behavior and could therefore extend to other directly transmitted pathogens in Spiny Lobster populations preventing them from becoming common in their population.
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white spot syndrome virus and the caribbean Spiny Lobster panulirus argus susceptibility and behavioral immunity
bioRxiv, 2018Co-Authors: Erica P Ross, Donald C. Behringer, Jamie BojkoAbstract:Abstract The Caribbean Spiny Lobster Panulirus argus is susceptible to infection by Panulirus argus Virus 1 (PaV1), the only virus known to naturally infect any Lobster species. However, P. argus is able to mitigate PaV1 transmission risk by avoiding infected individuals. White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) has a particularly wide host range. WSSV has not been documented in wild populations of Spiny Lobsters, but has been experimentally transmitted to six other Lobster species from the genus Panulirus spp. While WSSV has been detected intermittently in wild populations of shrimp in the Caribbean region, the risk to P. argus has not been evaluated. Potential emergence of the disease could result in fisheries losses and ecological disruption. To assess the risk to P. argus, we tested its susceptibility to WSSV via injection and waterborne transmission. We also tested whether healthy Lobsters can detect and avoid conspecifics with qPCR-quantifiable WSSV infections. We found P. argus to be highly susceptible to WSSV via intramuscular injection, with mortality reaching 88% four weeks post inoculation. Panulirus argus was also susceptible to WSSV via waterborne transmission, but WSSV burden was low after four weeks via qPCR. Behavioral assays indicated that P. argus can detect and avoid conspecifics infected with WSSV and the avoidance response was strongest for the most heavily infected individuals – a response comparable to PaV1-infected conspecifics. Panulirus argus is the first Spiny Lobster found to be susceptible to WSSV in the Americas, but it is possible that a generalized avoidance response by healthy Lobsters against infected conspecifics provides a behavioral defense and may reduce WSSV infection potential and prevalence. Such avoidance may extend to other directly transmitted pathogens in Spiny Lobster populations preventing them from becoming common in their population. Author Summary Erica P. Ross is a PhD candidate at the University of Florida, studying the disease ecology of the Caribbean Spiny Lobster, with a focus on chemosensory ecology. Donald C. Behringer is an associate professor at the University of Florida and his research focuses on disease ecology, epidemiology, and fishery ecology, with a focus on crustaceans and other marine invertebrates. Jamie Bojko received his PhD from the University of Leeds and is currently a post-doctorate associate at the University of Florida studying experimental and systemic crustacean pathology.
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Genetic evidence from the Spiny Lobster fishery supports international cooperation among Central American marine protected areas
Conservation Genetics, 2014Co-Authors: Nathan K. Truelove, Kim Ley-cooper, James Azueta, Isaias Majil, Donald C. Behringer, Sarah M Griffiths, Mark J Butler, Richard F. PreziosiAbstract:Marine protected areas (MPAs) are an important ecosystem-based management approach to help improve the sustainability of the Spiny Lobster fishery (Panulirus argus), but information is lacking concerning levels of Lobster population connectivity among MPAs. Given their prolonged (~6 months) pelagic larval duration, population connectivity must be considered in any spatial management plan for P. argus. We used genetic techniques to uncover spatial patterns of connectivity among MPAs along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef (MBRS) of Central America. We hypothesized that connectivity would be greater and genetic differentiation diminished among Lobster populations within MPAs in the southern MBRS, which is dominated by a retentive oceanographic environment, as compared to MPAs in the more advective environment further north. We found that levels of connectivity are high among Spiny Lobster populations residing in MPAs in Central America, although overall FST was low (FST = 0.00013) but significant (P = 0.037). MPAs in the northern MBRS contained significantly more individuals that were genetically determined outliers or migrants than southern MPAs (P = 0.008, R2 = 0.61), which may have contributed to the higher levels of genetic differentiation observed in northern MPAs. Direct genetic testing of larvae and adults will be required to confirm this hypothesis. The high level of connectivity among MPAs provides additional evidence of the importance of international cooperation in the management of Caribbean Lobster fisheries. However, uncertainty regarding the ecological and physical drivers of genetic differentiation in Northern MPAs implies that managers should hedge against uncertainty.
