Variation in density of early stages, that is, larvae and juveniles, is a major determinant of the distribution and abundance of the adult population of most marine invertebrates. These early stages thus play a key role in competitive interactions, and, more specifically, in invasion dynamics when biologically similar native and non-native species (NNS) come into contact in the same habitat. We...

Population growth involves demographic bottlenecks that regulate recruitment success during various early life-history stages. The success of each early life-history stage can vary in response to population density, interacting with intrinsic (e.g. behavioural) and environmental (e.g. competition, predation) factors. Here, we used the common reef-building coral Acropora millepora to investigate...

In the Central Red Sea, healthy coral reefs meet intense coastal development, but data on the effects of related stressors for reef functioning are lacking. This in situ study therefore investigated the independent and combined effects of simulated overfishing through predator/grazer exclusion and simulated eutrophication through fertilizer addition on settlement of reef associated invertebrate...

Archaeological settlement systems are usually analysed in terms of the relation between the rank of a settlement and its size (Zipf’s law). We argue that this approach is unreliable, and can be misleading, in application to archaeological data where the recovery rate of settlements can be low and their size estimates are often approximate at best. An alternative framework for the settlement dat...

In laboratory-based biofouling assays, the influence of physico-chemical surface characteristics on barnacle settlement has been tested most frequently using the model organism Balanus amphitrite (= Amphibalanus amphitrite). Very few studies have addressed the settlement preferences of other barnacle species, such as Balanus improvisus (= Amphibalanus improvisus). This study aimed to unravel th...

Most marine invertebrates have dispersive larvae and relatively immobile adults. These developmental stages are linked by a settlement event, which is often mediated by specific cues in bacterial biofilms. While larvae distinguish between biofilms from different environments, it remains unknown if they receive information from all, only a few or even just a single bacterial species in natural b...

Recent studies of municipal solid waste landfills have revealed the influence of biodegradation upon secondary settlement. Modern landfills, however, are designed with efficient containment systems which minimise moisture ingress and thereby reduce leachate and gas generation. The shortage of moisture means that these containment systems delay decomposition and stabilisation of waste. An altern...

Most studies of settlement cues in sessile marine invertebrates have focused on species with the potential to disperse over great distances. This persistent focus has perpetuated the idea that long-distance dispersing species may rely on cues to settle in specific habitats, whereas shortdistance dispersers are delivered directly into a favorable habitat. I tested the effects of water movement a...

A small number of studies have demonstrated that settlement stage decapod crustaceans are able to detect and exhibit swimming, settlement and metamorphosis responses to ambient underwater sound emanating from coastal reefs. However, the intensity of the acoustic cue required to initiate the settlement and metamorphosis response, and therefore the potential range over which this acoustic cue may...