Life History Implications for Free Spawning Invertebrates

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Levitan 9411986 Post-zygotic mortality is considered to be the primary selective agent in the evolution of propagule size in many taxa, including marine invertebrates. Unfortunately, theoretical predictions of marine invertebrate egg size based on post-zygotic mortality have been difficult to test and are often at odds with the empirical data. This study will conduct a series of laboratory experiments that will measure egg size, sperm swimming ability, and fertilization rates, and a series of field experiments that will determine how these gamete attributes influence rates of fertilization under different environmental conditions. In one experiment , DNA fingerprints of single larva will provide answers to how specific gamete attributes influence rates of fertilization and mediate the outcome of sperm competition. Incorporating fertilization into a comprehensive life- history theory will resolve many of the apparent paradoxes between the empirical evidence and previous theories. ***