Is seagrass an important nursery habitat for the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, in Florida?
The article examines the significance of seagrass as a nursery habitat for the Caribbean spiny lobster (Panulirus argus) in Florida. It notes on the experiment that analyzes the role of seagrass and hard-bottom habitats for the marine species recruitment in three ways. These include exploring for possible density-dependent regulation of early benthic juvenile lobster in seagrass and hard-bottom habitats, comparing its settlement and survival in both habitats, and assessing the relative abundance of juvenile lobsters in each habitat. However, macroalgae-dominated hard-bottom habitat appears to be the preferred and optimum nursery for Caribbean spiny lobster.
