Stoner et al.: Recruitment of Strom bus gigas 
891 
Table 3 
Pearson correlation coefficients (n=ll) for the pairwise relationship between each of seven dependent variables (i.e. newly settled 
queen conch and predators) and eight independent variables. Depth was at mean low water; distance was measured from station 
to center of juvenile queen conch aggregation (see Fig. 1); grain size and organics are for sediments; shoot density and detritus 
values are for T. testudinum. * 0.01 < P < 0.05; ** 0.001 < P < 0.01; *** P < 0.001. All of the dependent variables were transformed 
(log 10 (x+D) prior to analysis. 
Live conch 
Total conch 
Xanthids 
Alpheids 
Portunids 
Olivids 
Marginellids 
Depth 
0.474 
0.123 
0.710* 
0.428 
-0.081 
0.063 
0.231 
Distance 
-0.393 
-0.770** 
0.141 
0.358 
-0.158 
0.165 
-0.346 
Grain size 
-0.027 
-0.312 
0.533 
0.821** 
0.337 
-0.254 
-0.233 
Organics 
0.346 
0.196 
0.868*** 
0.694* 
0.041 
-0.398 
0.304 
Shoots 
0.454 
0.168 
0.812** 
0.924*** 
0.496 
-0.460 
0.273 
Detritus 
0.085 
0.038 
0.537 
0.947*** 
0.515 
-0.707* 
0.103 
B. oerstedi 
-0.106 
-0.260 
0.120 
-0.091 
-0.013 
0.164 
-0.020 
Laurencia spp. 
-0.026 
0.182 
0.237 
0.164 
-0.311 
-0.205 
0.082 
Table 4 
Number of dead newly settled queen conch dredged from 11 stations for each 
of four shell conditions (see text for definitions). Values are station percent- 
ages followed by (n). Data for stations C3 and D3 are given twice for ease of 
comparison in both flow field dimensions. 
Station 
Whole 
Drilled 
Peeled 
Crushed 
Total 
Down flow field, midchannel 
A 
33.3 (2) 
16.7 (1) 
0 (0) 
50.0(3) 
(6) 
B 
6.7 (1) 
0 (0) 
13.3 (2) 
80.0 (12) 
(15) 
C3 
9.7 (3) 
0 (0) 
25.8 (8) 
64.5 (20) 
(31) 
D3 
18.7 (3) 
0 (0) 
12.5 (2) 
68.8(11) 
(16) 
E 
33.3 (1) 
0 (0) 
33.3 (1) 
33.3 ( 1) 
(3) 
F 
0 (0) 
0 (0) 
0 (0) 
0 (0) 
(0) 
Total 
14.1 (10) 
1.4(1) 
18.3 (13) 
66.2 (47) 
(71) 
Across flow field 
Transect C 
Cl 
57.1 (4) 
0 (0) 
28.6 (2) 
14.3 (1) 
(7) 
C2 
17.6(3) 
0 (0) 
5.9 (1) 
76.5 (13) 
(17) 
C3 
9.7 (3) 
0 (0) 
25.8 (8) 
64.5 (20) 
(31) 
Total 
18.2 (10) 
0 (0) 
20(11) 
61.8 (34) 
(55) 
Transect D 
D1 
64.7(11) 
0 (0) 
5.9 (1) 
29.4 (5) 
(17) 
D2 
55.6 (5) 
111 (1) 
22.2 (2) 
11.1 (1) 
(9) 
D3 
18.7 (3) 
0 (0) 
12.5 (2) 
68.8(11) 
(16) 
D4 
25.0 (5) 
10.0 (2) 
0 (0) 
65.0 (13) 
(20) 
Total 
38.7 (24) 
4.8 (3) 
8.1 (5) 
48.4 (30) 
(62) 
Grand total 7 
27.0 (38) 
2.8 (4) 
13.5 (19) 
56.7 (80) 
(141) 
1 Stations C3 and D3 are included only once in grand total. 
year-class 1 and 2 conch (Table 4). The 
pattern of crushed shells was reverse. 
In the down flow-field dimension, the 
percentage of whole empty shells was 
lowest at stations within the nursery 
ground and at station F. Crushed shells 
made up the highest proportion of 
dead, newly settled conch within the 
nursery area. Overall, few shells were 
drilled (2.8%) or peeled (13.5%), and 
most were crushed (56.7%). 
Conch predators 
Xanthid crabs (mostly Micropanope 
spp.) composed the predator group 
with the greatest densities and gov- 
erned the density distribution of to- 
tal predators in both flow-field dimen- 
sions (Fig. 4). Xanthids were most 
abundant (102-286 per m 2 ) at sta- 
tions B, D3, and D4, and were <36/m 2 
at all other stations. Alpheid density 
decreased down the flow field (Fig. 
3), increased with seagrass density 
across the flow field (Figs. 3 and 4), 
and had a high positive correlation 
with detritus (r=0.947, Table 3). 
Xanthid and alpheid densities also 
had high positive correlations with 
Thalassia testudinum shoot density 
and sediment organics (Table 3). Portunid crab densi- 
ties were relatively low, compared with the two other 
crustacean families. They decreased down the flow field 
from a maximum at A (7.6/m 2 ) to 0 at F (Fig. 4). 
Of the two predaceous mollusc families observed, the 
Olividae were most abundant at stations C2 (18/m 2 ) 
and F (25/m 2 ) (ANOVA, F 1045 =5.69, PcO.OOl). Val- 
ues were <7. 2/m 2 at all other stations and the data 
were not plotted. Olivids were negatively correlated 
with detritus (Table 3). The Marginellidae were most 
abundant at B (9.2/m 2 ) and D4 (6.8/m 2 ) and densities 
were <2/m 2 at all other stations, but the differences 
