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Chemical defense and aposematic coloration in larvae of the ascidian Ecteinascidia turbinata

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Date Issued:
1987
Title: Chemical defense and aposematic coloration in larvae of the ascidian Ecteinascidia turbinata.
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Name(s): Young, Craig M., creator
Bingham, Brian L., creator
Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Article
Issuance: single unit
Date Issued: 1987
Publisher: Springer
Extent: 7 p.
Physical Description: pdf
Language(s): English
Identifier: 3333096 (digitool), FADT3333096 (IID), fau:6228 (fedora), 10.1007/BF00397972 (doi)
Note(s): In the coastal waters of Florida (USA) tadpole larvae of the colonial ascidian Ecteinascidia turbinata contain chemicals which make them unpalatable to planktivorous juvenile pinfish Lagodon rhomboides. Experiments demonstrate that the bright organe color of E. turbinata tadpoles is aposematic. Fish that have recently tasted larvae of E. turbinata will not attack the palatable tadpoles of Clavelina oblonga when the latter are dyed organe to resemble larvae of E. turbinata. Tadpoles of E. turbinata that have been mouthed and rejected by fish generally survive to complete a normal metamorphosis. Individual selection explains the evolution of aposematic coloration in E. turbinata better than kin selection.
This manuscript is an author version with the final publication available at http://www.springerlink.com and may be cited as: Young, C. M., & Bingham, B. L. (1987). Chemical defense and aposematic coloration in larvae of the ascidian Ecteinascidia turbinata. Marine Biology, 96(4), 539-544. doi:10.1007/BF00397972
Florida Atlantic University. Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute contribution #589.
Subject(s): Ascidians
Sea squirts
Larvae--Defenses
Aposematic coloration
Chemical defenses, Animal
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/FCLA/DT/3333096
Links: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/BF00397972
Restrictions on Access: ©1987 Springer
Host Institution: FAU