Experiments conducted at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) have shown that female American lobsters groom their offspring, and the grooming behaviors appear to remain stable despite the temperature and acidity conditions projected for Maine’s coastal waters by the end of the century. A study by researchers at William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences shows that the species may be more resilient to the effects of climate change than previously thought.
The study examines how a changing climate may impact the reproductive success of species that brood or incubate and hatch their eggs. The findings were published in the journal Marine Ecology Progress Series and suggested that American lobsters can handle future ocean changes well, as their egg care and survival rates stayed stable under different conditions through the study’s tests.
Digging into the study
The study’s researchers partnered with the Maine Department of Marine Resources to obtain 24 lobsters from commercial operations for the study for five months. They secured female lobsters at market size with all legs intact, which are commonly lost in the wild.
Researchers studied how different temperatures and pH levels affect lobsters’ care (grooming) for their eggs during development. Over five months, they exposed egg-bearing females to various conditions, including warmer temperatures (+4 degrees Celsius), more acidic water (-0.5 pH), and a mix of both. They examined how these conditions affected egg production, embryo growth, and the lobster’s egg-caring behavior at different stages. Egg loss and caring behaviors did not change significantly with temperature or pH, further emphasizing that survival was stable no matter the condition.