Selection of vegetated habitat by brown shrimp, Penaeus aztecus, in a Galveston Bay salt marsh

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dc.acquisition-srcReview of GBNEP-6 reference listen_US
dc.call-noAcc# 1517 - Box#7en_US
dc.call-noFishery Bulletinen_US
dc.contract-noen_US
dc.contributor.authorZimmerman, R.J.en_US
dc.contributor.authorMinello, T.J.en_US
dc.contributor.authorZamora, G., Jr.en_US
dc.contributor.otherFishery Bulletinen_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-02-15T16:50:50Z
dc.date.available2010-02-15T16:50:50Z
dc.date.issued1984en_US
dc.degreeen_US
dc.descriptionpgs. 325-336en_US
dc.description-otheren_US
dc.description.abstractDensities of the brown shrimp, Penaeus aztecus, in vegetated and nonvegetated habitats of a Galveston West Bay salt marsh were compared. Each of 81 sample pairs taken between 29 March and 23 July 1982 consisted of one sample from Spartina alterniflora habitat and another from nonvegetated habitat. Overall a mean density for shrimp of 11.7/m2 in vegetation was significantly greater than the mean density of 1.4/m2 in nonvegetated habitat (P<0.001, t-test, 81 paired observations). In addition, shrimp densities varied according to a pattern of lower numbers and less apparent attraction in the outer bayside part of the marsh to that of highest numbers and greatest attraction in the innermost marsh. Accordingly, respective means for the outer, middle, and inner marsh zones in vegetated/nonvegetated sample pairs were 7.5/2.3, 11.0/1.0, and 16.6/0.6. Simple presence or absence of S. alterniflora, area covered by vegetation, and location within the marsh were the primary observed correlates to shrimp density patterns. Mean high water in vegetation was 22.1 cm compared with 41.8 cm for adjacent nonvegetated habitat, making vegetated habitat less accessible during periods of low water. Mechanisms that may have enhanced utilization of vegetated habitat for P. aztecus were reticulation in salt marsh macrostructure, relatively low tidal range, and seasonal periods of high water. The nursery function of the salt marsh was confirmed by dominance of small shrimp, with 95% of all individuals being smaller than 50 mm in rostrum through telson length. During April, the maximum mean density of postlarvae under 30 mm was 16.4/m2. Recruitment of postlarvae continued throughout the summer. A 2.8 milimeters squared drop sampler, used to obtain the data, was found to be 2 to 5 times more effective for estimating densities of P. aztecus than trawls or seines. Consequently, our study improved the accuracy of estimates on estuarine shrimp densities, while also providing reliable evidence that P. aztecus may select for vegetated marsh habitat.en_US
dc.description.urihttp://gbic.tamug.edu/request.htmen_US
dc.geo-codeGalveston Bayen_US
dc.geo-codeWest Bayen_US
dc.history3/2/05 easen_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/1969.3/19279
dc.latitudeen_US
dc.locationGBIC Archives Collection; TAMUG Periodical Collectionen_US
dc.longitudeen_US
dc.notesen_US
dc.placeWashington, D.Cen_US
dc.publisherU.S. Dept. of Commerce, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Marine Fisheries Serviceen_US
dc.relation.ispartofseries1517.00en_US
dc.relation.urien_US
dc.scaleen_US
dc.seriesen_US
dc.subjectbrown shrimpen_US
dc.subjectPenaeus aztecusen_US
dc.subjectabundanceen_US
dc.subjecthabitaten_US
dc.subjectsalt marshesen_US
dc.subjectestuariesen_US
dc.subjectnursery groundsen_US
dc.subjectSpartina alternifloraen_US
dc.subjectvegetation coveren_US
dc.subjectmarshesen_US
dc.titleSelection of vegetated habitat by brown shrimp, Penaeus aztecus, in a Galveston Bay salt marshen_US
dc.typeArticleen_US
dc.universityen_US
dc.vol-issuev.82, no.2en_US

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