Erik Maitz Boman

Diet and growth of juvenile queen conch Lobatus gigas (Gastropoda: Strombidae) in native, mixed and invasive seagrass habitats

ABSTRACT: Juvenile queen conch are primarily associated with native seagrass such as Thalassia
testudinum in large parts of their range in the Caribbean and the southern Gulf of Mexico. Here,
a number of non-native seagrass species have been introduced including Halophila stipulacea,
which is natural to the Red Sea and the Indo-Pacific. In the Caribbean, H. stipulacea often creates
dense continuous mats with little or no sediment exposed, compared to native seagrass, which
grows much less dense. We examined the diet and growth of juvenile conch in both native, mixed,
and invasive seagrass beds using stable isotope analysis and an in situ growth enclosure experiment.
Organic material in the sediment (i.e. benthic diatoms and particulate organic matter) was
found to be the most important source of carbon and nitrogen for juvenile queen conch in all 3
habitats investigated, and there was a significantly higher probability of positive growth in the
native seagrass compared to the invasive seagrass. Due to the importance of the organic material
in the sediment as a source of nutrition for juvenile conch, limited access to the sediment in the
invasive seagrass can potentially cause inadequate nutritional conditions to sustain high growth
rates. Thus, it is likely that there is a negative effect on juvenile queen conch growth currently
inhabiting invasive seagrass beds, compared to native seagrass beds, when other potential
sources of nutrition are not available.

Date
2019
Data type
Media
Theme
Education and outreach
Research and monitoring
Geographic location
St. Eustatius
St. Maarten