Resistance to starvation of first-stage juveniles of the Caribbean spiny lobster

The non-feeding postlarva (puerulus) of spiny lobsters actively swims from the open ocean to the coastal habitats where it settles and molts to the first-stage juvenile (JI). Because pueruli use much of their energy reserves swimming and preparing for the post-settlement molt, the survival of JIs presumably depends on resuming feeding as soon as possible. To test this hypothesis, the resistance to starvation of JIs of the Caribbean spiny lobster, Panulirus argus, was evaluated by measuring their point-of-no-return (PNR, minimum time of initial starvation preventing recovery after later feeding) and point-of-reserve-saturation (PRS, minimum time of initial feeding allowing for food-independent development through the rest of the molting cycle) in a warm and a cold season. Each experiment consisted of eight groups: a continuously fed control (FC) group, a continuously starved control (SC) group, and six groups subjected to differential periods of either initial starvation and subsequent feeding (PNR experiments) or initial feeding and subsequent starvation (PSR experiments). No JIs molted under continuous absence of food (SC). In both PNR experiments (temperature in warm season: 29.79 ± 0.07°C, mean ± 95% CI; in cold season: 25.63 ± 0.12°C) mortality increased sharply after 9 d of initial starvation and intermolt periods increased with period of initial starvation, but were longer in the cold season. The PNR50 was longer in the warm season (12.1 ± 1.2 d, mean ± 95% CI) than in the cold season (9.5 ± 2.1 d). In PRS experiments (temperature in warm season: 29.54 ± 0.07 °C; in cold season: 26.20 ± 0.12 °C), JIs that molted did so near the end of the feeding period; all JIs initially fed for up to 6 d succumbed, and no JIs molted after 13 d of starvation despite having fed previously. The PRS50 did not differ between the cold (13.1 ± 0.7 d) and warm seasons (12.1 ± 1.1 d). JIs of P. argus exhibit a remarkable resistance to starvation considering that the previous non-feeding, energy-demanding puerulus phase lasts for ∼3 weeks. However, JIs appear to have a relatively higher degree of dependence on food to complete development to JII during the cold season than during the warm season. Therefore, JIs of P. argus would appear to be more resistant to starvation during the warm season.