Open AccessGrowth Differences Among Families Of The Lobster, Homarus americanus 1
Author(s) -
Hedgecock Dennis,
Nelson Keith,
Shleser Robert A.
Publication year - 1976
Publication title -
proceedings of the annual meeting ‐ world mariculture society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.655
H-Index - 60
eISSN - 1749-7345
pISSN - 0164-0399
DOI - 10.1111/j.1749-7345.1976.tb00075.x
Subject(s) - homarus , biology , american lobster , brine shrimp , shrimp , growth rate , zoology , fishery , ecology , crustacean , mathematics , geometry
Results of a pilot study designed to estimate the variance of growth rates within and between full sibling families of the lobster Homarus americanus are presented. Progenies raised simultaneously for 100 days under optimal temperature (˜21 C) and diet (live, adult brine shrimp fed ad libitum) grow at significantly different rates. Pronounced environmental effects on growth are inferred from an inverse rank correlation (r S = ‐0.91) between progeny mean growth rates and the temporal sequence with which progenies were introduced into the experimental space. Differences in growth rates between siblings grown in two independent, experimental seawater tables are also significant in some cases. Family x table interaction is observed indicating that growth may not always be predictable from knowledge of genetic stock and quality of the rearing system alone. Implications for selective breeding of faster growing lobsters are discussed.