Larval settlement of the silver- or goldlip pearl oyster Pinctada maxima (Jameson) in response to natural biofilms and chemical cues

This paper presents the first laboratory study investigating larval settlement and metamorphosis of Pinctada maxima in response to both natural and artificial inducers. Natural biofilms induced larval settlement and the inductive effect appears to be closely associated with the bacteria in the biofilm. This result indicates that, in nature, bacteria may play an important role in the settlement of P. maxima larvae. Various pharmacological agents were also tested in this study and the results were generally similar to those found with other marine invertebrates, particularly molluscs. The results show that some pharmacological agents are potent artificial inducers of larval settlement for P. maxima. The findings of this study provide valuable information for understanding the mechanism of the larval settlement of this species, which is useful information for the hatchery industry of this pearl oyster. (C) 2003 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.