How juvenile lobsters fall into a deadly natural trap in the Florida Keys
Phys.org••health
Key Points:
- Juvenile Caribbean spiny lobsters in the Florida Keys are falling into natural ecological traps by entering limestone holes inhabited by predatory red grouper fish, leading to higher mortality rates.
- Unlike adults, juvenile lobsters cannot detect the scent of groupers, which creates a sensory blind spot causing them to be lured into dangerous habitats by the presence of adult lobsters.
- The study found that juvenile lobster mortality was 30% higher within a 16-meter radius of grouper dens, explaining the near absence of juveniles in these areas despite the presence of adults.
- This research highlights a rare example of a natural ecological trap, where a normally beneficial social cue (the presence of conspecific adults) inadvertently leads juveniles into lethal environments.
