Determining the Thermal Tolerance of the Stage V Larvae of Homarus americanus

Abstract

In response to warming water temperatures in the Gulf of Maine, this experiment attempts to define the thermal tolerance of Stage IV and Stage V Homarus americanus in order to test for an ontogenetic shift between the tolerances. I measured oxygen consumption in active and resting trials of Stage IV and Stage V Homarus americanus larvae to determine the average aerobic scope of each stage from 4℃ to 32℃. The Stage V larvae had twice the aerobic scope between 6℃ and 16℃ compared to that of the Stage IV’s. This supports the hypothesis that the larvae of H. americanus are more cold tolerant in Stage V.