Setting of Estuarine Invertebrates in Delaware Bay, New Jersey, Related to Intertidal‐Subtidal Gradients

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Abstract
Attachment of eight groups of estuarine benthic species was recorded on a 4000 ft. intertidal‐subtidal transect on Delaware Bay, Cape May, New Jersey. Asbestos‐board panels were spaced at 3‐foot vertical intervals and harvested at weekly intervals for two seasons. Intraspecies attachment patterns were very regular both spatially, and temporally indicating specific setting behavior interacting with a relatively stable environmental influence.Intertidal, on‐bottom patterns were associated with Crepidula sp. and Balanus sp. whereas Sabellaria vulgaris preferred subtidal, on‐bottom panels. Subtidal, off‐bottom panels were colonized by Tubularia crocea, Conopeum tenuissimum, Caprellidae and Gammaridae. Crassostrea virginica showed a variable pattern, predominantly on‐bottom and subtidal, but occasionally on‐bottom intertidal, inshore. Factors producing concentration of larvae and release of the setting response are important in the inshore recruitment of oysters. All information indicates that the mechanism of selective settlement is a dominant factor in producing benthic assemblages.